Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.1 Cor 16:13
How many are aware that Biblical manhood has been under attack for decades? While the most recent roots of this phenomenon are decidedly Marxist, (see Expose What?) the fact remains that multiple generations of men are confused. Many are so confused that they don’t know they are confused.
Given that I was an adolescent in the 1970’s I can remember clearly when the controversy over manhood first emerged. Before that decade, boys were raised to endure pain. I remember being told, “Big boys don’t cry”. Not because we didn’t have feelings or that feelings were bad. But rather because the call to self-control is the call to manhood which is a hero’s journey.
As the Frankfurt School’s Critical Theorists rolled out their neo-Marxist agenda using radical feminism as a catalyst in the early 70s, men were increasingly framed as oppressors instead of protectors. I distinctly remember my mother reading an article in Cosmopolitan magazine stating one radical feminist’s view that “all male babies should be killed at birth.” While I never succumbed to it, I remember feeling pressured to feel guilty for being male.
Fast forward to the 1980s with T.V. shows like Married With Children and the 90s with The King of Queens and men went from being cast as oppressors to buffoons. The compulsion to feel guilty turned to shame for being born male.
Al Bundy from Married With Children
Masculinity by contemporary cultural standards today is nothing other than mental illness.
Given that we now have somewhere between one hundred and one thousand imaginary genders, it should be no surprise that masculinity has been subdivided into hyper, hegemonic, complicit, marginalized, toxic, and subordinate masculinities. I am sure there is more…
Garbage!
If you are interested in the definitions of this absurdity then by all means research them yourself. As for me, I am a biblical man. I’ll die on that hill.
What is Biblical Manhood?
I teach the boys whom I serve at the children’s home that the primary difference between a man and a boy is self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit. Gal 5:22-24 Self-control applies to every fleshly impulse, especially anger. Men who are easily overtaken by what the Bible calls fits of anger or fits of rageGal 5:19-22 might be saved and loved by God, but they have yet to attain anything resembling mature manhood. Eph 4:11-16
Only John states that Jesus made a whip which only implies that the emphasis is not the whip. Nowhere does it say that Jesus raged let alone whipped any human being. I see Jesus as uncompromising and assertive, not hostile and aggressive. Given that Jesus is God it would be pretty safe to assume that His behavior never once departed from the nine fruits of the spirit. He may have been angry, but He didn’t sin.
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,1 Pet 1:15-17
The Bible is full of verses regarding the importance of self-control concerning anger. Here are just a few.
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. SelahPsalm 4:4
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,Eph 4:26
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.Ecc 7:9
A rebuke from a friend is sweeter than kisses from an enemy.Prov 27:6
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.Prov 15:1
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. Prov 15:18
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.James 1:19-20
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.Prov 16:32
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.Prov 22:24-25
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,Titus 1:7
It is in the context of true Biblical Manhood that genuine Love is modeled. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8
I have observed that men prone to fits of rage tend to minimize, justify, and or rationalize their lack in one or more of the bolded areas above. This is one root of religious abuse. Many maintain a facade of kindness and holy self-control while in public. Then they explode when those who might hold them accountable are not present. Defenseless women and or children often receive the brunt of their anger.
Perhaps the most pure and genuine expression of biblical manhood is found in our relationships with women and children. Not just the women and children in our families, but all women and children. After all, Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
Ironically it is within the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood where the capacity to harm another is established that patience, kindness, the desire and ability to honor others, self-control, and the inner drive to protect are formed. If that seems confusing then consider how many adolescent boys punch holes in walls. It is only through the comprehension that we can harm that we develop a healthy fear that we might harm. Hence it is the fear of losing control of our own power that provides an initial spark of self-control. Self-control brings with it the recognition that we have a capacity and therefore a responsibility to protect those weaker than ourselves. We begin as boys dependent on our parents for protection. Then one day we realize that if someone comes through the door with the intent to harm others it is up to us to stop them. No one else is coming. This revelation may be literal or proverbial. Unfortunately, most traditional rites of passage have been lost. This is especially true in a society that begrudges masculinity. What may have been intended to soften men and create a more peaceful society has backfired. We now have legions of insecure uninitiated boys in men’s bodies without a higher purpose and something to prove. Instead of fully stepping into their roles as priests, providers, and protectors of those called by God to birth the bearers of His image, these uninitiated men are compelled to compete with and subsequently view women as a threat. Having never embraced and understood their own power to harm, they lack an awareness of how intimidating and even terrifying their fits of rage may be to a weaker vessel especially a woman or a child.
Given the neo-Marxist and therefore satanically induced competition between men and women in our society I should probably qualify the term “Weaker Vessel” 1 Pet 3:7 “Weaker Vessel” does not mean “inferior vessel”. Peter is clear. We are to honor them as the weaker vessel since they are heirs with us. Proverbially speaking, wehonor the weaker vessels as we would fine china instead of treating them like cast iron frying pans.
At this point, the missing rite of passage can only be fulfilled by deep repentance. Having terrified or harmed those he is called by God to nurture and protect, he must stand accountable before God and man. The hero’s journey now looks like a willingness to humbly own and embrace any hard truth that is presented about himself. He must remove any permission he has given himself to lash out in a fit of rage. He must resolve to be patient, gentle, and self-controlled even when it hurts. Even when it is unfair. It is within this process that the transformation of the uninitiated inner child takes place and the flesh-driven man steps into biblical manhood as a priest, provider, and protector within his family and his community.
Be one who calms the storms in people’s lives instead of the storm itself.Mark 4:35-41
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.1 Cor 16:13-14
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
The Christian walk is not our best life now. While material blessings, health, wealth, and happiness with family and friends, etc. do happen, they are incidental to the ultimate purpose and plan of Jesus. Peter’s final exhortation is a reminder that we are engaged in a war. We fix our eyes on the Blessed Hope and continue in spite of circumstances not because of them.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Peter exhorts us to be sober – to keep watch, calmly, dispassionately, and circumspectly. Because the Devil prowls LIKE a roaring lion. Jesus is the Lion of Judah. The devil tries to usurp our belief in Jesus through deception. Peter tells us to resist him, firm in our faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. The question to which every believer must have an answer is,
How do we resist the devil?
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
The first order of business in any war is to know the Captain of your salvation. Then know your enemy and his plans.
…He (Devil) was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Submitting to God means coming into agreement with truth. The devil’s first line of attack is to convince us to believe a lie. Every action is based on what we believe. In Mathew 4 Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His identity as the Son of God. He twisted scripture in an attempt to confuse Jesus’s understanding of God’s will and plan. He appealed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,1 John 2:16 and tempted Jesus to usurp the authority of His Father. Jesus rebuked the devil with truth. The only way to defend oneself against lies is to know, believe, and walk in God’s word.
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuserof our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
The next line of attack is accusation the purpose of which is guilt shame and condemnation. While Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:8 No one who truly knows and is sure of who they are in Christ can successfully be accused. The enemy comes and is just quickly repelled by truth. Accuser is katēgoréō the word from which we get category. Just think of all the myriad ways that society categorizes people and then seeks ways to divide and pit one against the other. In the words of Howard Pitman, “The devil can’t kill us. He can only convince us to kill ourselves.”
People have killed each other over categories of ethnicity, nationality, politics, socioeconomic status, gender, and even church denominations for millennia. Today we manufacture categories at warp speed. God is the author of truth. Satan authors confusion. God has two categories believers and unbelievers. One aligns with truth, the other with lies. Everything else falls in line with one or the other. The error that results in sin and death, begins when people consent to call good evil and evil good. Isaiah 5:20
If satan can’t trick us into blatant sin he will make us obsessed with trying not to sin on our own. It’s a futile battle. Only God gives the power to cease from sin. Rom 6:14-23 The goal of the accuser in the lives of those committed to obeying God’s commandments is to get us so consumed with guilt, shame, and condemnation that we take our eyes off the one who makes us righteous. We step back into the flesh where it is impossible to please God. Before we know it we are back into blatant sin. Rom 8:1-8, Gal 3:1-3 It is a devious albeit absolutely brilliant satanic trap into which so many believers fall. When all is said and done, walking in the flesh can be reduced to the sin of unbelief. That’s all satan needs or desires.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
So many are so consumed with watching out for some proverbial cloven hoof, saber-toothed goat-man that they miss the beautiful, kind, sweet-sounding angel of light dancing right under their noses. Perhaps the greatest threat posed to us comes from satan’s ministers who transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. They muster crowds of loyal unwitting idolaters that resemble groupies more than disciples only to have their fraudulence exposed decades later. Too often the fruit of this is deconstruction among their followers or what some are currently calling The Great Dechurching reminiscent of 2 Thess 2:3. Hence the greatest threat the devil poses to sincere Christians today is skewed doctrine that looks wonderful and “sweet”, but ultimately leads to another gospel and becoming accursed. Gal 1:8-9 Accursed means going to hell.
The Chosen
Recently some friends asked us what we thought about the television series The Chosen. We’d heard a lot about it. But we don’t own a TV and have never watched a single episode. Several of our friends love it. A few said it inspired them to dig deeper into their Bibles and read the subject matter covered in a given episode. While my preference would be that everyone takes a sledgehammer to what my dad called “the idiot box”, I figured there are worse things on TV than The Chosen. Even so, being that I aim to be a Noble Berean, I did some research. The following bullet points were compiled by Jon Root on Twitter and taken from this video.
“Here are some quotes in The Chosen that I believe contradict the Bible:
– Chosen’s Jesus says “I am the Law of Moses” which preaches a different gospel & seemingly aligns with 2 Nephi (Book of Mormon) and not The Bible
– Chosen’s Jesus refuses to be worshipped (example of more Mormon theology) & tells a religious leader to follow his heart…
– The Chosen’s Jesus supposedly quotes Luke 5:32, but omits the word repentance and simply says he is “calling sinners”
– Chosen’s Jesus asks Matthew for help with his sermon as if God in the flesh would need any help whatsoever with preaching the Word.
– The Chosen uses modern-day progressive language “Love is Love”
– The show insinuates that Jesus transgressed aka sinned.
The Chosen preaches a different gospel & portrays a different Jesus so it definitely doesn’t “honor the authentic Jesus”. It’s watered down like the He Gets Us campaigns littering our televisions and billboards… Also, “in a behind-the-scenes interview, the show is described as a “multi-lane highway for relationships with Jesus” (for this reason, the show is inclusive of homosexuals, atheists, Catholics, and mystics for their writers, actors, and crew.) The Bible says that narrow is the way leads to life, and broad is the way to destruction. There is no multi-lane highway to Christ.”
– Virtually every actor portraying a disciple & even Jonathan Roumie (Jesus) is LGBTQ-affirming.
– Multiple actors portraying disciples tell faithful Christians who stand by marriage between one man and one woman & against the Pride flag on display, to leave & not watch The Chosen.
– Jonathan Roumie (Jesus) has platformed & promoted progressive, pro-LGBTQ priests.
– Dallas Jenkins & the show’s official social media account defended a symbol (Pride flag) which is in diabolical opposition to the “authentic Jesus” and His Word
Here are some quotes from Dallas Jenkins.
– “…the people who only want to read the Bible won’t be watching [The Chosen].”
– “Mormons and Christians believe in the same Jesus”
– “Our intentions are different from the Bible’s intentions”
– When speaking to the Pride flag controversy, justifying its display and promotion, “… it’s just a 3-inch pride flag”
– Dallas controls the direction of the show & has allowed LGBTQ to be promoted and is responsible for the different Jesus & gospel presented.
– Dallas Jenkins also said that I, and other Christians who have expressed concern are “what’s wrong with Christianity today.”
Of course, no video depiction can be one hundred percent accurate. This is due to the form of media, not the message. All video is shot through the eyes of a person(s), edited by another, and interpreted through the eyes of yet another. In essence, video makes the viewer a co-creator. As a former video producer for ministries, I can say that even the most painstakingly honest videos are deceptive. Still, at the end of the day, the question each of us must answer for ourselves is, how many blatant distortions of truth are acceptable?
I commonly confront children and recovering adults actively engaged in criminal thinking errors e.g. justifying, rationalizing, minimizing, and generalizing their bad decisions. One of my favorite methods is to ask if they know how to bake a cake. Then I ask for a list of ingredients, flour, eggs, sugar, etc. When the group agrees that the list is complete I tell them I have one more special ingredient to add. One teaspoon of a cat crap. “Is that ok?” I ask. Barring the question being posed to a group of thirteen-year-old boys the universal response is always a resounding “NO!”. “Ok, how about a half teaspoon?” “NO!” “A quarter…?” “NO!”. “Ok, then how much cat crap can I put in a cake for you to eat it?”
“NONE!” says everyone.
Herein lies the problem. People’s understanding of spiritual war is on a continuum from “I don’t believe in a devil.” to “Satan is under every rock and around every corner.” Some people think the devil is powerless. Others are so concerned about satan that they miss God entirely. Depending on the situation, the reality is usually somewhere near the middle. Hence genuine spiritual warfare always begins with being a Noble Berean. We “truth check” everything and test everything according to scripture. For those who label this practice as religious, legalistic, or overly intellectual, all I can say is take heed lest you be deceived. Mat 24:4 Quite often what people call “walking in the spirit” is just complacency or even deception in disguise. Mat 16:23 Complacency and deception are the primary cause of death in war.
These are the considerations of one who is sober; watchful, calm, dispassionate, and circumspect – aware of the wiles of the devil. These are the considerations of a Noble Berean.
Do you have friends and family who are confused about Israel and the events that have taken place since October 7, 2023? Are you confused yourself? Do you feel torn and conflicted at times and battle the temptation to take sides in the war? Do arguments that favor Palestine seem increasingly viable? Are you tempted to curse Israel or praise their success in the war? Does the spirit of vengeance rise up in you when you see and hear testimonies of the horrors that took place on October 7th? Or maybe you understand the truth in your spirit but struggle with answering those who parrot social media narratives. One thing is certain. There is a growing move by the enemy to justify the rejection of God and His people. In the words of Hamas. “We begin with the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.” Here are some 1 Peter 3:15-16 apologetic
Points to Ponder
As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, the vain babblings of the masses are getting louder. There are conspiratorial rumblings that the barbaric attack by Hamas on October 7 was a false flag. The assumption is that there is no way that the IDF could not have known about the attack beforehand. Hence they must have intentionally provoked it and or stood down while at least 1400 innocent people were killed in cold blood. It is all too easy to forget the human tendency toward complacency rooted in normalcy bias and pride. The very real possibility of a cyber attack that overrode motion sensors, alarms, and security cameras is lost in the imaginations of people programmed by YouTube and Netflix. That young millennial and Gen Z soldiers raised on social media might have been sleeping or perhaps more concened with selfies than security never enters the minds of armchair intelligence analysts.
Anyone who has served in a combat arms role knows the temptations that accompany the mind-numbing boredom of guard duty. Mindlessly staring at nothing in the desert distance for eight to twelve hours at a time plays all sorts of tricks on the mind. The potential for sheer boredom to produce hallucinations is usually dismissed until it happens to you. Complacency and normalcy bias are multiplied every time a hallucination is proven to be just another “nothing burger”. Not only that but it is common for enemy scouts and reconnaissance patrols to probe enemy positions by throwing things like pebbles in the dark. They taunt guards to shoot at nothing and expose their weakness. The result if no one ever attacks is further desensitization and complacency. Complacency may be amplified by heckling and laughter from fellow soldiers. Do I know for certain that this is what led to the Oct 7 attack? Certainly not. But I’d wager it’s a more viable argument than Jews killing Jews so they can kill Palestinians.
Turkish guard caught sleeping on duty. This happens with all armies all the time. Quite often, people die as a result.
I have repeatedly heard the claim that “Zionists” created and funded Hamas to one day justify Israel’s taking of all the Palestinian territories. Some supersessionists on the right surmise that Benjamin Netanyahu allowed the attack because it ultimately targeted leftist Jews who were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and opposed his conservative government. In their minds, it explains why they moved the venue of the music festival. Once again, the supporting presupposition is that the IDF is so professionally infallible that the only explanation for bad decisions and failure is that they wanted fourteen hundred of their own people to be brutally tortured, raped, and murdered and hundreds more to be taken hostage.
Yeah…maybe not.
Many are attempting to reframe Zionism and differentiate Zionists from the rest of the Jews by claiming Zionism is exclusively secular. Reframing language is a textbook strategy employed by neo-Marxist Critical Theorists and post-modern deconstructionists. If that is confusing then consider the current definition of a man, woman, marriage, and the rainbow in America. Every day we see a professing Christian minority misrepresented as the majority by the media in support of perversions like abortion, transgendersism, and gay marriage. The same strategy is being employed using anti-Zionist Jews represented as the only true Jews. Still, many contemporary Zionists are secular and therefore politically motivated. Yet as I will show, this is not the point. Especially for Christians. Other conspiracies claim that the alleged persecution of Palestinians by Israel is the handiwork of the Kazarian Mafia. Some Christians equate this with the synagogue of Satan mentioned in Revelation 2:9. Yet discerning Jews who are not Jews does not require us to unravel a Kazarian conspiracy. There are multitudes of professing secular Jews who reject the Torah and the God of Abraham while maintaining their Jewish ethnicity.
That being said, there were a group of Turks known as Khazars that converted to Judaism in the 8th or 9th Century B.C. Were some of them scammers and criminals? Of course. In fact they were some of the first identity thieves. But then, what people group was ever devoid of miscreants?
“According to one conspiracy theory, the so-called Khazar Jews practice the Talmudic “Babylonian” law and were able to penetrate European and American societies and assume almost ultimate power through the banking system, the media, academia, and the entertainment business. Another leitmotif of these theories is that Ashkenazi Jews are not authentic Jews and that only Sephardim are of “real Jewish stock.” –The Jerusalem Post–
There are secular Jews some of whom are proven criminals. Yet the correlation between Jewish ancestry and criminality is a false dichotomy and decidedly racist. The same faulty reasoning is employed in Arabic countries regarding Christians. America is a Christian nation represented by a clearly Satanic media and Holywood. Therefore Christians worship Satan.
What I find most terrifying is the fact that conspiracies like this were the basis for the book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion published in 1903 by “Author Unknown”. In addition to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, it became the philosophical underpinning of, and justification for the Jewish Holocaust, 1933-45.
Christians should understand that everyone is a criminal apart from Christ Jesus. Eph 2:1-10 Unfortunately the arguments that resulted in Christian collaboration with Nazis in the first Jewish Holocaust threaten to be repeated today.
The Origins of Palestine
The name Palestine is derived from the Emperor Hadrian changing the name of Judea to Syria Palestinia following the 132-135 AD Bar Kokhba revolt. Simon Barcoba was a Jewish Zealot, a leader in a political movement that attempted to overthrow the Roman rule over Israel. Hadrian wanted to eliminate any trace of a Jewish presence in Judeah. The geographical area known as Gaza Palestine today is the orginal home of the Philistines. The first mention of the Philistines is found in Genesis 20 1897 BC. Abimelech was king of Gerar in the plain of Philistia.
The first battle between the nation of Israel and the Philistines is mentioned in Judges 3:31 sometime between 1400 and 1000 BC. Joshua conquered Jerricho Judges 6 in 1405 BC and began taking the land that became the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel continued until 70 AD when the Roman Emperor Titus sacked Jerusalem. The Jewish people were dispersed around the globe until the nation of Israel was reborn in 1948 AD. In 457 BC God via a decree by Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to restore Israel for the first time following the Babylonian Captivity. 1948 was the second time Israel was restored to the land as prophesied by Isaiah.
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.Isaiah 11:1-12
The current geographical boundaries that included Israeli control of Jerusalem were established during the Six-Day War, June 5-10, 1967.
If you are Jewish or Christian then there is no disputing that the land of Israel belongs to the God’s chosen people the Jews into whom we Christians are grafted. Of course orthodox Jews and many Christians do not realize this…yet.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.Romans 11:17-18
As for Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian Authority, they have never validated the existence of Israel and in their own words, they never will.
All Christians should carefully read and understand Romans chapter 11 regarding God’s plan for Israel and Israel’s relationship to the church. As I will show, it includes a dire warning concerning God’s judgment at the end of the age.
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.Romans 11:22-23
The assertion made by neo-Marxists in the West and Arab Nazis is that Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism. Recently more than a few have gone so far as to correlate Zionism with Nazism. I recently heard one woman on social media assert that Hitler’s Jewish Holocaust was facilitated by Zionists to generate support for the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. Her argument almost sounded reasonable had I been more ignorant of history. The people who call themselves Palestinians today are Nazis and are supported by those who have sought the eradication of the Jewish people since Hamon in the book of Esther Chapter 3.
We must destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God2 Cor 10:5-6 We must take captive any thought that would dare turn anything in God’s word into a pejorative. Zion has everything to do with both Judaism and Christianity. Zion was first mentioned when David captured Mount Zion 2 Samuel 5:7 in the 10th century BC. Zion is the City of David from which Jews know their Messiah will rule. Christians already know that the Messiah is Jesus. Mount Zion is Mount Moriah where Abraham brought Issac. It is the site of the 1st-century Jewish Temple. It is the site of the Alasque mosque known as the Dome of the Rock today. It is the most contentious piece of real estate in the world over which and upon which the most significant end times events will play out.
Dome of the Rock 2018
Psalm 2 is a prophecy of Christ’s kingdom written in 1044 BC. If Zionists are those who rejoice that Jesus will eventually rule from Zion, then call me a Zionist.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree…Psalm 2:1-7
Even so, as Christians, we do not rejoice in the suffering and death of anyone. That means Jews and Palestinians and all Arabic people in the region.
As the saying goes, “No Jews – No news.”
That said, those recoiling over the alleged genocide of Palestinians have ignored the true genocide of Arabic people by other Arabic people for milliena. Their media-generated offense and argument against is Israel is a disingenuous strawman at best. But then strawman arguments are another hallmark of emotion-driven, cognitively deficient “useful idiot” reprobates.
All anti-Semitic propaganda aside, we pray that Jesus visits Hamas and the myriad arms of Islamic Jihad at least as much as we desire to provoke the Jews to jealousy. Rom 11:14 A lot of Christians struggle with the idea that all of this conflict is part of God’s ultimate plan to redeem Israel. Yet apart from a complete reversal on the battlefield, it looks like what Zephaniah prophesied in 620 BC is taking place in Gaza now.
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.Zeph 2:4-5
If that is the case then God-haters, neo-Marxists, and confused supersessionists can rejoice. Israel and other nations (people groups) who continue to reject Jesus as savior are not off the hook. If my interpretation of scripture is correct, God’s judgment falls on them next in Zephaniah 3:1-8.
Or should I say, “falls on you”?
“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed.” Zeph 3:8
But don’t stop there. The true purpose of God’s plan to reconcile all the children of Abraham is spelled out in Zephania 3:9-20 and Isaiah 19:16-24. Does it make sense in the context of our limited human cognition? Probably not. Hence Isaiah 55:8-9. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.
But don’t take my word for it. Be a Berean and search the scripture yourself to see if what I am saying is true. Please tell me if I am wrong.
As I said previously, Paul’s warning regarding the broken branches which is the Jewish people, is connected to a more dire warning concerning God’s judgment at the end of the age. As you may know, Mathew 24-25 also known as the Olivet Discourse contains an outline regarding events leading up to the end of the age and Jesus’ return. Verses 3-31 tell us in near bullet point form what we will see taking place and what may happen to us if we are alive. Verses 32-52 are allegorical descriptions of what those days will be like. Mathew 25 contains instructions on how believers should respond. Mat 25:31-46 is the final judgment marked by the all-familiar parable of the sheep and the goats. Verse 40 is the most oft-quoted verse.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
While Jesus loves the poor and downtrodden the least of His brothers is not the starving child in a third-world dump. In fact, He said these are the greatest. Mat 18:1-5. Consider that Jesus was a Jewish Messiah who came first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The least of Jesus’ brethren when He spoke were the Jews who rejected Him and were about to have him tortured and crucified. Given the legal right and opportunity, many of their descendants would persecute and kill His followers today. I expect that day will come. Hence Paul wrote,
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Rom 11:28-29
Be careful. Arrogance toward the broken branches, a.k.a. the “Zionists” could result in hearing,
‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. May 25:41
Always remember, that good arguments can always be made for bad presuppositions. Hence the validity of an argument is determined by the validity of its underlying presupposition. The Christian presupposition is that Jesus is the only way. God’s word, the Bible is inerrant and infallible. There’s really no point in arguing with committed neo-Marxists and other God-denying reprobates because you are arguing from opposing world views. Believers must not be drawn into secular media narratives that twist God’s truth and demonize His chosen people on the global stage. Are atrocities taking place in Gaza? Most assuredly. Only the naive would ever believe that organized mass murder otherwise known as warfare has ever been or ever will be humane. Innocent civilians always make for the bulk of casualties in every war. That’s not a justification for razing Gaza or supporting Israel because they are good people. They are not. The truth is that apart from denying self, picking up our cross, and following Jesus, no one is righteous, not one. Romans 3:9-18 Now more than ever we must maintain an eschatological and prophetic perspective of events on earth and an eternal perspective of God’s ultimate purpose for the followers of Jesus. We support and bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem out of obedience to God alone, Num 24:9, Gen 49:9, Gen 12:3 not a natural preference for people.
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35
Righteousness will only be found in Jesus. A righteous government will not exist until He returns to rule from Mount Zion.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Here is another rendition.
Love is large in being passionate about life and relentlessly patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others with kindness. Love is completely content and strives for nothing. Love has no desire to make others feel inferior and has no need to sing its own praises. Love is predictable and does not behave out of character. Love is not ambitious. Love is not spiteful and gets no mileage out of another’s mistakes. Love sees no joy in injustice. Love’s delight is in everything that truth celebrates. Love is a fortress where everyone feels protected rather than exposed! Love’s persuasion is persistent! Love believes. Love never loses hope and always remains constant in contradiction. Love never loses its altitude!
The first version is from the ESV translated from the original Greek into contemporary English. The second is from the Mirror Bible also allegedly translated from the original Greek. The difference between the two is the added interpretation in the Mirror Bible.
For example, Love suffers long, (ESV) Love is large in being passionate about life. (Mirror Version) Let me ask you;
what do the words suffering and passionate mean to you?
A year or so into our Honduras Mission my definition of earnest love correlated with an old post, Que Rompe Tu Corazon – “What breaks your heart?” At that time the poverty, loneliness, and suffering we encountered broke my heart. In my mind, God did not desire that any of His children should suffer. Love meant being the hands and feet of Jesus. It meant giving from the overflow of abundance God had given me to do all I could to alleviate suffering. In a word, I gave people stuff along with money to buy stuff. Earnestness was the intensity of the emotion I felt that compelled me and propelled me forward. I labeled this
“Compassion”.
Cathy’s photo of children in a Honduran dump.
Maturity
It can be easy to stop at verse 10 in the above passage. Yet Paul goes on.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.1 Cor 13:11-12
There are childish albeit still valid interpretations and expressions of love. Still, growth that results in maturity is the goal.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather,speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.Eph 4:11-16
We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… This includes but is not limited to, loving like Jesus did and does. When I was a child God’s love was defined by my experience of His comfort. As a young man earnest love became sacrificial obedience to a self-appointed mission to accomplish something for Jesus in my name. As well-intentioned as it was, it was nevertheless birthed from a self-centered interpretation of scriptures like Isaiah 6:8.
Here I am! Send Me!
One thing seems certain. My understanding and perception of love have evolved as I’ve aged. If the Bible is correct, I can expect between twelve and twenty-two more years of earthly life. Psalm 90:10 Perhaps the greater number of opportunities to suffer and endure by way of having walked longer upon the earth sets me apart from those half my age. Today earnest love looks like peace and simple faithfulness. Faithfulness to His Word, faithfulness to that which He calls me, be it preaching a sermon or cleaning a toilet. Faithfulness in the context of my relationships. It is accompanied by a clear understanding that faithfulness is not a synonym for success. Many of the most significant and successful people are also the most adulterous and idolatrous. Faithfulness means giving my time and resources because “God said” not because of any perceived benefits or a lack thereof. It has nothing to do with attaining some illusory “next level”. Earnest Love does not desire to offend but is willing to offend 1 Pet 2:8 because love rejoices in truth. Love and truth can not be separated.
Earnest Love is Compassion.
Interestingly the prefix “com“ means “with“. “Passion” means “suffering” as depicted by Jesus on the cross. Compassion is
“to suffer with”.
A lot of people, especially younger people, role their eyes at my ongoing emphasis on suffering instead of identity. All I can say is take it up with Peter. He broaches the topic 12 times in 1 Peter alone. The topic occurs 96 times in the entire Bible 68 of which are in the New Testament. In contrast,Blessing occurs 76 times 21 of which are in the New Testament.
The Gospels denote the compassion of Jesus twenty-three times. The implication for me as a missionary was that my compassion was evidence of my being conformed to the image of Jesus. Perhaps. But in my experience being conformed almost always begins with a Heb 12:27 shaking. The shaking removes some things and shakes other things into place. Suffice it to say that God shook me a lot in the course of six years. Immature grandiosity and delusions of significance were the first to go. What remained was a more mature and realistic appraisal of myself. As it turns out, what I had defined as compassion was in fact mere pity. Pity always compares my situation with that of another. Pity tempts one to embrace guilt, shame, and condemnation for having more than others. In the end, pity looks down from a proverbial pedestal and declares,
“Poor thing!”
Guilt, shame, shame, and condemnation were always temporarily relieved by giving. I mistook the illusion of personal empowerment and imagined significance in God’s kingdom as my payment for lending to Him. Prov 19-17
Pity is just altruistic pride in disguise.
While pity strives for the illusory “next level” allegedly to help more of those below it. Compassion identifies with a person in their situation. It purposely aims lower and enters the struggle of another alongside them in the dirt. Pity is underpinned by pride. Compassion is marked by humility.
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”Mat 8:20
If I ask for a contemporary definition of “earnest” I expect the answer to be framed in the context of an emotional response. Contemporary earnestness is always a measure of emotional intensity be it felt or outwardly expressed. Still, we must dig into what Paul meant at the time and compare it with our own linguistic interpretations lest we be guilty of preaching another gospel. Gal 1:8-9
In 1 Peter 4, “Earnest” or “Fervent” is ektenḗs– intent:–without ceasing,stretched out, assiduously.
Assiduous means with great care and perseverance.
Jesus gave us the purest example of Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.John 15:13
Once again, Peter’s use of the term “earnest love” in 1 Peter 4 is in direct reference to the mind or resolve of Jesus with which he exhorts us to arm ourselves in verse 1.
Like it or not earnest love that covers a multitude of sins is inseparable from suffering. It would seem that earnest love is only produced by genuine compassion which is suffering in the flesh. Perhaps death to self Mat 16:24-25, Rev 12:11 produces a willingness to lay down one’s life for another thereby making earnest love that covers a multitude of sins possible. If so then it follows that those who have suffered in the flesh as a result of loving in this manner have ceased from sin.1 Peter 4:2
Does arming ourselves in this way mean we aspire to grow up into this kind of love? Is it part of becoming perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect? Mat 5:48 Or do we simply trust Christ in us the hope of glory Col 1:27 to manifest in and through us when the moment of truth arrives and we are called to suffer and even die for sake the of the gospel?
Ironically, I had a conversation with a coworker last night who was trying to understand why our church “looks so crazy” during worship. All things considered, we are pretty mild for an IRIS Global church. I began explaining how the roots of our church were born out of a willingness to enter into suffering during a civil war in Mozambique. I told her about all the miracles I personally witnessed in the context of suffering in Mozambique and Honduras. The deaf ears opened the miraculous replication of food, etc. I talked about Surprise Sithole and the Voice in the Night. Much of the eccentricity we see here in the West looks crazy because people go directly from having an encounter with God to choosing a restaurant for lunch where they spend more than most Mozambiquans make in a year. Many people mistake eccentricity for Holy Spirit.
Most people are consumed with living their best life now in hopes that their children and grandchildren will do the same. Nothing I say is going to change their perspective. Today is January 1st, 2024. Many are being lulled to sleep by a prosperous satanic lullaby. But God will have His way. The next few years are not going to look like what I hear most self-proclaimed contemporary prophets describing. Still, I fully expect to see conditions emerge that produce a revival of
Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin. Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2 -Berean Study Bible-
What most informs your Christian walk? Is it a moment-to-moment guidance from the Lord? Do you acknowledge Him in all your ways and He directs your steps? Prov 3:5-8 How do you discern His leading, His voice from your own voice, that of the world, and finally the enemy who presents himself as an angel of light? 2 Cor 11:14 Is your spiritual guidance system primarily informed by the voice of contemporary teachers and prophets? Do you emphasize dreams, visions and seers, and books written by contemporary authors? Are you wooed by anointing such that you exalt a man?
The Bible is clear that there is a gift of prophecy. 1 Cor 12:1-11. The office of the prophet in the New Testament is more ambiguous. We see Pastors, evangelists, teachers, and even apostles operating as part of the fivefold ministry. Eph 4:11 I have yet to see a genuine contemporary prophet who operates as part of a fivefold ministry. I’ve seen patently false prophets and I have seen individuals with a prophetic gift. Others mislabel words of knowledge, and words of wisdom as prophecy. I could be totally wrong and if so then please correct me, but every self-proclaimed prophet I have personally encountered is operating on his own with little to no accountability to anyone. Anyone claiming to hold the office of a prophet and utters the words “Thus Saith The Lord!” apart from the Word of God must realize that the standards for doing so have not changed.
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’ when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.Deut 18:18-22
Still, there is something known as prophetic preaching. Prophetic preaching is first and foremost FIRMLYrooted in God’s WORD, which is the testimony of Jesus. Rev 19:10 It is not “a new thing” or an extra-biblical thing proclaimed on YouTube or sold on Amazon. It tends to be countercultural in that it calls out that which is and is not of God within the House of God.It may expound on Biblical prophecy but it is not limited to the prophetic. The foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;Eph 2:20 is its inspiration and source. True Prophetic preaching does not depart from God’s Word because the Bible is a blueprint and map of God’s plan from before the foundations of the worldEph 1:4-10 until the establishment of a new heavens and new earth.Rev 21 It is only through His word as taught by Holy Spirit John 16:13 that we can come to know the mystery of His will.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.Eph 1:7-12
The word is a mirror that shows us who we are in light of Him 1 Cor 13:12 and the image of His son into which He is conforming us. Rom 8:29 The word is the prophetic lens through which we should view and interpret all prophecy, history, and current events while we are still sojourners on Earth. Phil 3:20 Surely the Lord God does nothingUnless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.Amos 3:7 Still, this mainly refers to the fact that God has revealed the bulk of His plans to five major prophets and twelve minor ones. Again I could be wrong but I suspect that any genuine contemporary prophecy is rooted in the promise Gabriel gave to Daniel regarding the increase in knowledge and understanding of what was written and sealed up. Dan 12:4 and Dan 12:10. There is some horrific heretical stuff labeled as prophetic coming out on the internet today.
If you are one whose faith walk is primarily steered by dreams, visions, prophecies, and books from celebrity prophet pulpits then I would exhort you to carefully study and meditate on Jeremiah 14, 23, and 28. I am not a cessationist. I’m not discounting all prophecy dreams and visions. I’ve just seen too many proclamations of God’s will apart from His Word. Hence I would plead with you to use the above scriptures as a lens through which you view and consider what you hear.
For they are a rebellious people, lying children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”Isaiah 30:9-11
Is their message rooted in scripture exegeted in context? Is it about Jesus, and the testimony of Jesus? Is Jesus even mentioned? Or are people simply in awe of a man?
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.Rev 19:10
Why am I coming so hard against the prophetic?
Let’s just say that if my destination is due north and I am off course by 22 degrees east, I don’t steer harder east to get back on course.
Again, I am not going to go to the opposite extreme and quench the spirit and limit God. Off course by 22 degrees to the west is no better than the same error to the east. The Bible says the gift of prophecy is real.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.1 Thess 5:19-22
The operative question is “How do we filter the good from the evil, the genuine from the fake?”
Jesus’ first admonition when the disciples inquired about His return was, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Deceive is planáō – roam (from safety, truth, or virtue):–go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way. Christ is Christos – anointed. To be anointed means to have authority. That authority is first and foremost to proclaim
“Thus Saith The Lord!”
Pay close attention to your own emotional responses when listening to another human being speak about God. Are you compelled to exalt the man? Or is the man increasingly diminished such that you forget him entirely because you are so awed by God? John 3:30
If pastor Billy Bob claims to be a Prophet and proclaims “Thus saith the Lord” then he better not miss it. If he does then the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.Deut 18:18-22. On the other hand, if Bobby Sue in Billy Bob’s congregation has a prophetic gift and says “I feel like the Lord is saying…” or “I think I heard the Lord tell me…” and she is wrong then Bobby Sue is not a liar. She just missed it like we all miss it. The words “I feel like…” or “I think…? invite confirmation or correction. The difference between the two is in the assignment of an office and the assumption of authority. Pastor Billy Bob exalts himself by putting himself on equal footing with the Word that God exalts above all His name. Psalms 138:2 Bobby Sue is simply trying to make sense of what God is speaking amidst at least three other voices. It’s unlikely that anyone will put Bobby Sue on a pedestal and forgo searching the scriptures to see if what she said is true. Acts 17:11
People put Billy Bob Prophets on pedestals every day.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.1 Cor 2:2
The cross marks our proverbial true north as we sojourn the earth. The cross is the hinge upon which everything in the Christian walk hangs. Hence Paul resolved to know nothing apart from it. And Peter exhorted us to arm ourselves with the same resolve by which Jesus suffered and endured the cross.
“We understand the value of suffering in the Christian life. Learning to love requires willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness. Discipline and testing make saints out of us, and produce in us holiness, without which we will not see God’s face and share His glory. With Paul we rejoice in our weaknesses, for when we are weak we are strong.” Value #4 of5 CORE VALUES OF IRIS GLOBAL
Interestingly, Suffering in some form is mentioned sixty-eight times in the New Testament, and Blessing just twenty-one. If we are going to arm ourselves with the same resolve as Jesus then we need to study and meditate on what He endured.
And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”Luke 22:40-42
How often do we encounter suffering and tragedy and pray like Jesus in Gethsemene? Jesus did not tell His disciples to pray for deliverance from suffering but that they would not fall into temptation. Temptation to what? I think it was the temptation to quit. When Jesus sent Cornilieus to heal Saul / Paul’s blindness it wasn’t to pour out blessings but to tell Paul all that he must suffer. Acts 9:16 If they persecuted Jesus then why would we assume the same won’t happen to us? John 15:20 If the same might happen to us then why don’t we ever talk about it as a church? Arm ourselves with the same resolve does not mean arming ourselves with prophetic feel-good fluff. Arming myself means asking how I can finish well. Arm yourself means asking the Lord to show me how I could be tempted such that I might fail to endure and overcome. Mat 24:13, Rev 21:7-9
For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. Because of this, they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:3-5 -Berean Study Bible-
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.1 Peter 4:1-2
We were locked down in Honduras when I wrote the original version of this blog. COVID cases had begun to double daily. The borders and airports were closed. No one could leave the country. There was a 6-month to 2-year jail sentence awaiting anyone who violated the lockdown. Ironically it had been just two months since I’d presented a teaching based on the book The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy-What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny. By William Straus and Neil Howe. I had no idea at the time how prophetic it was. My audience was comprised of Millennials and Gen Z-ers who were learning how to be missionaries. My message was not well received. You can read the book or better yet, its sequel The Fourth Turning is Here,. You can also view my original post for a quick synopsis. Suffice it to say that we are in what Straus and Howe called The Fourth Turning otherwise known as
“The Crisis”
Today we find the globe moving deeper into the Fourth Turning that is scheduled to peak sometime between 2025 and 2030. If the cycle simply repeats it will usher in another First Turn “High”. Just to give you some context, the previous High was 1945 -1965 and gave birth to “The Boomer Generation” and the proverbial “American Dream”. That the cycles of history repeat is as unavoidable as it is undeniable. The key to surviving and thriving is rooted in recognizing the season and responding correctly. One of the most common errors people make during Fourth Turns is to mistake them for a First.
For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time when it suddenly falls upon them. Ecc 9:12
The Root of Crisis
Judge and judgment are among the most contentious words these days. This is especially true in the context of Christianity where “judgment” has become a pejorative. The WOKE especially like to cite Jesus in Mat 7:1-3 “judge not lest ye be judged” usually in response to any mention of sin. Today love is increasingly defined as tolerance of sin. Conviction is hate. The Greek word for judge in Mat 7 is krínō, meaning to “condemn or pronounce sentence upon”. The absurdity of one person judging another for judging them aside, we agree that no man should krínō another.
There is more than one word for judgment in the Bible.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.”1 Cor 2:14-15 “judge” is Anakrínō – to discern.
I Anakrínō right from wrong – truth from lies etc. In practice Anakrínō looks like intuition or “gut instinct”. Yet it is a knowing in one’s spirit that can be later verified with God’s word.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment… Philippians 1:9
Judgment here is Aísthēsis – perception by the intellect as well as the senses, discernment, Cognition, moral discernment in ethical matters.
Among other things, Aísthēsis is the bedrock of a 1 Peter 3:15 Apologia, a defense for the hope that is in us.
Still, there is one other word for judgement.
That word is Krísis, the word from which the English word “crisis” is derived.
Krísis is God’s judgment.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17
Discussions of God’s judgment may trigger charismatic believers. We may encounter a similar emotional response is when discussing spiritual gifts with reformed cessationists. Theological paradigms get rattled and arguments are formed as we debate whether or not God really is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet almost no one would dispute that God can not be mocked. We reap what we sow. There is a point on the path of sin where God turns his head and gives those who remain in it over to do that which ought not to be done.Rom 1:18-32 This turning over is for the destruction of their flesh in the hope that their soul might be saved. At the end of the day, the wages of sin is death. God does not cause us to sin. He allows us to sin. It is not God’s desire that crisis falls upon us. He desires that we wake up and rise from the dead. Yet all are without excuse. Rom 1: 18-32. Therefore God does not change the consequences of our chosen rebellion. Does the devil play a role? Certainly! In fact he thinks he is winning. Little does he know that he is God’s stool pigeon. The pressure (Thlipsis- tribulation) that Satan is allowed to impose on us is used by God to conform us to the image of His son Rom 8:29 and remove the spots and wrinkles from His bride. Eph 5:27 Imagine what might happen if we took responsibility for our collective sin and resulting Krísis like Daniel did in Dan 9 instead of assigning power to the devil and deferring blame upon Him.
Consider how that might shape our prayers.
While the scandal at IHOP at least partially inspires this post, the allegations against Mike remain as yet unconfirmed. Please don’t get lost in speculation regarding his innocence or guilt. Rather I hope that you will consider the Krísisthat has been broughtto light within the body of Christ.
Having attended Ravi Zacharias’ School of Apologetics, I was devastated when his lifelong sexual sin was exposed immediately following his death in 2021. No man has impacted my theology and faith more than he. If I have ever placed a man on a pedestal Ravi was it. I cried when his ministry, life’s work, and legacy collapsed. Yet Ravi’s sin was not the root cause of his ministry’s implosion. It was the leadership team who knew about Ravi’s sin and covered it up to protect the ministry that detonated its demise. Despite the title, the video below is not about Mike Bickle per se. It is Lew Engle’s public confession of his porn addiction at a One Thing Conference in 2018. I think we were in Ecuador on the Amazon at the time and had no idea this had happened. The current scandal at IHOP is the only reason I – and maybe you – have become aware of it now.
Clearly, there is a crisis in the body of Christ.
How did we get here? As Ray Comfort says, “God comes to us with a subpoena in one hand and a pardon in the other.” Today we love to tell people about the loving pardon. The subpoena…not so much. We emphasize grace and joy and downplay God’s justice. We thank Him for His goodness and redact His severity and Holiness. In a word, there is no fear of God. Instead, we fear man and man’s rejection. We redact the truth in the hope that we will be accepted.
Praise God for Lew’s courage and transparency even if it took him fifty years to get there. I’m not being snarky. It’s justa fact. He has ministered to at least two generations of new believers all the while being double-minded and therefore unstable in all his ways. Sexual sin’s portal is a man’s eyes. It is the number one sin that threatens to beset all men. No man is immune. If you think you are then take heed lest you fall. One reason I don’t have a porn problem today is because I know that I could. The other reason is that I understand how real the battle is and how it is fought.
Lew mentioned years of futile prayer and fasting against his compulsion. That makes perfect sense. The Bible tells us toflee youthful lusts. Prayer and fasting is for unbelief. Those who fail to heed the warning to flee soon find themselves caught in the snare of addiction. Now they must expose itEph 5:11 before they can hope to flee it. Exposure is what many people fear most because the required vulnerability produces suffering. This suffering may be the result of shame, the loss of the esteem of men, position, and or material consequences like the loss of a career or even one’s freedom. Fear of exposure keeps us stuck in our sin. As the 12 Step adage goes,
What I found most perplexing about the video is that Mike Bickle seemed embarrassed by Lew’s transparency. The words he chose were anything but supportive of accountability. Mike seemed quite familiar with Lew’s struggle as he attempted to minimize and rationalize the sin. Thankfully Lew Engle wasn’t having any of it. The fear of God was on him and he quaked in his boots as he publicly repented.
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Cor 11:31
The reason for God’s judgment on the house of God and global society is that we have avoided addressing the subject of sin for so long that today we increasingly call good evil and evil good.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. 1 Pet 4:1-6
Paul calls it persevering. Once again, tribulation is Thlipsis (pressure) and specifically refers to a form of Roman execution where a large bolder was placed on the victim’s chest and slowly crushed the life out of him. In this context, pressure could be iniquity which includes the pressure to sin. We refer to this pressure as temptation. Yet iniquity left unaddressed becomes generational. The longer we remain isolated in secret sin the greater the iniquity and the more fragmented we become. Fragmentation is the opposite of integrity. Both fragmentation and integrity are opposing expressions of character. Our character is what God seeks to transform and conform to the image of His son. Persevering under pressure is God’s formula for transformation that produces hope.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Rom 5:3-5
One thing seems certain. Hard times and big challenges lie ahead. More and more we will see true character exposed both in and out of the church. I understand the importance of the honor that so characterizes my own faith stream. It’s true context applies to missions and becoming all things to all men in order to save a few. We honored Muslims in Africa to earn credibility and the right to be heard by them. Honor was never intended to be a perversion of do not touch God’s anointed – a proverbial bunker in which leaders avoid accountability. God is not having it. My prayer is for wisdom and courage for all of us to judge ourselves and that we allow the transformation of our character wherever needed so that we can faithfully fulfill what God has called us to in these last days.
Every outcome will ultimately be determined by our character.
The only way to understand the ongoing conflict in Israel is through a Biblical understanding of Israel’s history.
OTHERWISE, IT IS JUST ANOTHER POWER STRUGGLE AND ATROCITY THAT HAS NO LIMITS.
Here is a very brief albeit condensed outline.
God gave Abraham the land that would become Israel. Genesis 12. Abraham had two sons Issac and Ismael. Genesis 16:1–16, Gen 17:18–26, Gen 21:1–21 Issac is the child of the promise because Sara gave birth as God promised despite the natural impossibility of giving birth at such an old age. Issac was the father of Jacob who became Israel. Genesis 32:22-32 Ishmael is the child of the flesh due to the impatience of Abraham’s wife Sara who convinced Abraham to step out of faith and sleep with her servant Hagar. Thirteen years later Ishmael and his mother Hagar are banished to the desert. Ishmael becomes the father of the Arab nations. Islam believes Ishmael is the child of the promise and lists him as a prophet and one who, according to Muslims helped Abraham build the Kabba in Mecca.
The biblical history of Israel is the story of an estranged family.
They are estranged from their father and from each other.
Jesus brought and assigned believers the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
The geographical nation of Israel begins In approximately 1250 BC at the end of the 40-year Jewish Exodus from Egypt when Joshua took the nation of Israel across the Jordan River into the promised land. Joshua 1-24 At that time it was occupied by Canaanites, the descendants of Cain who murdered Able. Genesis 4. Wars and turmoil continued as the Israelites gained more control over the land. Ezekiel 48 explains that the total area God gave Abraham includes Lebanon, part of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The nation of Israel has yet to occupy all of it.
The Israelite’s history has been an ongoing and repeated cycle of receiving a blessing from God, followed by disobedience and entitlement, God’s discipline, Israel’s repentance, restoration and blessing again. The ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jewish people is not based upon their being better than the rest of the world. Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:1-20 It is based on the choice and unbreakable covenant God made that will culminate with their eventual acceptance of Jesus as their King. Romans 11
Fast forward…
Jesus was born, and rejected by a majority of His people the Jews. He was crucified, resurrected therbye conquering sin and death. The Gospel of Salvation was fulfilled. This is the foundation of God’s redemptive plan. (See all four Gospels). Jesus ascends to the Father, the Holy Spirit is given and the Christian church is born. Acts 1-2.
In 70 AD the 2nd Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Romans. Israel ceased to be a nation and most of the Jewish population was dispersed to the nations of the world as Jesus prophesied in Mathew 24:2.
In 130 AD a Jewish Zealot named Simon Barcoba led a rebellion against the Roman Empire. They were crushed by the Romans.
In the year 135 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Judea (Southern Israel) “Palestinia” in an attempt to stamp out any remaining trace of the Jewish people. Israel did not exist as a nation again until “The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel” by the UN on May 14, 1948. This was prophetically alluded to by Jesus in Mathew 24:32-33. The people displaced in 1948 are known as Palestinians today.
At some future point, Jesus will return and descend upon the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to set up His millennial Kingdom. Zechariah 14, Revelation 20.
Certain prophetic benchmarks must be met before that happens.
Damascus, the oldest and most consistently populated city in the world will be destroyed. Isaiah 17:1. People from the geographic areas currently known as Russia, Kajikistan Iraq, Syria, Turkey Iran, Morroco, Algeria, Libya, and Sudan will attack Israel. Ezekiel 38-39. The man of Perdition a.k.a. the anti-Christ will emerge. The Jewish daily sacrifice will be restored on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Then it will be abruptly taken away. The abomination that causes desolation (whatever that is) will take place. Mat 24:15. The three-and-a-half-year tribulation will then commence. Daniel 12, Revelation 13, Mathew 24:21 Then Jesus will return, Daniel 7:13-14, Acts 1, Mathew 24:29-31. This will be the fulfillment of the three remaining Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. As bad as things are, and will be, it is important to remember that Jesus framed what is coming in the context of “birth pains” Mathew 24. Consider this; if a woman went into labor and didn’t know she was pregnant she would think she was dying. The hardest time on earth is likened to a woman in labor. Labor is hard and painful. The pain ends as abruptly as it started as soon as the baby is born. A woman endures labor for the coming joy that is her child. Hence Jesus exhorts us to endure Mathew 24:13 and when these things happen we are to, look up as our redemption draws near.Luke 21:28 This is the second part of God’s redemptive plan.
It will be the fulfillment of the Gospel of The Kingdom.
“But the Bible is just a fairy tale”, you say.
Fine. You can’t prove that. In all fairness neither can believers prove you are wrong. Both arguments, both sides, are rooted in a presupposition otherwise known as a statement of faith. Arguing presupposition against presupposition, worldview versus worldview is futile.
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Mathew 7:13
On the other hand, if I am wrong and the Bible is a fairytale,
then like you I will live out the remainder of my days as a dirtbag in meaningless futility until my dirtbag returns to dust. Apart from the subjective opinions of man, there is no right or wrong. Self-preservation is the supreme spiritual law. I live for me. You live for you. Your life is only valid to the extent that it helps or at least does not interfere with mine. As in the case of the existentialist philosopher Albert Camus, everyone will eventually be faced with the question,
“Why not suicide?”
Apart from Jesus, there is no good answer especially when life seems unbearable.
On the other hand, if I am right and every word in the Bible is God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3 then those who believe will spend eternity with Jesus. Those who reject God’s redemptive plan will die in their sin and spend eternity in hell. This is offensive to secular humanists. However, as Blaise Pascal realized, the risk versus reward alone behooves us all to examine the resentment, narcissism, pride, and rebellion that allows us to be blinded. 2 Corinthians 4:1-4
“But what kind of God allows so much suffering?” you ask.
Why doesn’t He just end it all now?
God is not a covenant breaker like humankind. He meant what He said and He can not lie.
“Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”2 Peter 3:9
In the end, God will accomplish all that He started. Isaiah 55:11. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.Philippians 2:10-11 Israel and the Gentile Church will be saved. Romans 11. So will the radical descendant tribes of Ishmael. Isaiah 19:16-25. Only those who refuse to believe and be baptized
Consider that the persistent anxiety, rage and depression with which so many struggle might not be their flesh crying out for the right feel-good medication. Rather their spirit man, the part of them that will live for eternity somewhere is crying out for salvation. Deny it all you want. Deep down everyone knows that they are among the walking dead, trapped in their sin. All of us are by nature children appointed to the wrath that we deserve known as hell. Ephesians 2:1-3
Do we fail at times? Of course. Just get up and try again. Proverbs 24:16, 1 John 1:9 At the end of the day we are clothed in His righteousness not our own. Isaiah 61:10
But God!
God in His grace made a way for all to be saved. There is nothing we can do to earn or be worthy of it. It is a gift that we accept or reject Ephesians 2:4-10 God wants to save us because of who He is.
Not because of who we are or anything we do. Titus 3:5
What a relief!
All that is required is that we believe and be baptized. Just know that believing is more than merely agreeing. Believing means learning about Jesus and His ways – trusting and obeying Him to the best of our ability. Baptism is an outward expression of an internal commitment and change. It is the death of the old man and the birth of the new. We are submerged as a representation of death. We are raised as new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20,Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:22-24, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Romans 6:3-4, Romans 8:1.
Jesus is knocking at your door. It’s up to you to let Him in. Revelation 3:20
God appointed and or foreknew everything you see playing out in Israel and the world today. Evil is not the fault of God. It is the inevitable expression of man’s total depravity amidst God’s plan to save us despite us.
Who acts for the one who waits for Him? You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness. Who remembers You in Your ways? You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—In these ways we continue, And we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And no one calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:5-8
At the end of the day violence and suffering continue because people won’t surrender and repent until they reach the end of themselves.
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Spiritual warfare begins with knowing the wiles of the devil in order to stand. Eph 6:11 In this context Stand is hístēmito be of a steadfast mind. Ephesians 6 goes on to describe the full armor of God begining with the belt of Truth.
Every warrior knows the very first truth that must be acquired is a clear understanding of one’s own weaknesses. Emotion is always first. Any human being lacking a firm understanding of their own emotions, and the subsequent ability to self-regulate them is what Yuval Noah Harari calls a Hackable Animal. If you have never heard of Harari, he is a Jewish atheist homosexual historian and spokesperson for The World Economic Forum WEF. The WEF wants to put everyone in modern-day ghettos called fifteen-minute smart cities where “you’ll own nothing and be happy”. Among other things, Harari looks forward to the day when AI will rewrite the bible so that we will have a religion that is “more correct.”
But I digress…
Those who primarily rely on emotion to navigate the circumstances of their lives are easily manipulated by how they feel. Any stimulus that produces fear, lust anger, grief, or greed makes them supremely hackable. If you pay close attention you will quickly recognize that nearly all media, especially visual media is designed to hack you. The only way to ensure you aren’t hacked is to turn off what my dad called the idiot box.
This is especially true if you are Christian and a consumer of MainStream (I call it sewer stream) Media. If you think there is a lick of truth on FOX, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, or CBS, I have bad news for you.
You’ve been hacked!
In the West, we are often more concerned about offending the sensibilities of others than we are with establishing the truth. This is not the case outside the first world where horrors are a daily experience. Being a spiritual warrior requires we meet the reality of tragedy head-on without being consumed by emotion but also without losing compassion for our fellow image-bearers. Jesus repeatedly modeled this Eg. Mat 12:22-37. Jesus was not moved by the fickleness of human emotion because He knew all men and He knew what was in man.John 2:23-25 In our case walking this way requires an understanding that both sides of a conflict will do anything they can to spark emotion and glean support from the oh-so-hackable public.
This is a photo circulated by Israel allegedly of a burned Israeli baby.
This is alleged to be the original photo. The baby is said to be produced by AI.
All we know for sure is that one of them is fake.
Both Israel and Palestine claim these are their people.
The point here is that everything we know or think we know about this conflict is rooted in confirmation bias that is itself rooted in our own empirically unprovable presuppositions. “God exists.” “God does not exist.” “God’s name is YHVH.” “God’s name is Allah” are examples of presuppositions. Our confirmation bias is supported by what we read, hear, or see in the media. Unless you were there, you have no way of knowing the truth about the images above.
Yet how many will choose a side to hate based on media images?
What took place in Israel and is currently taking place in Gaza is horrific. The pressure to take sides is strong. This is exactly what the devil wants. Israel is so enraged by the unspeakable atrocities committed by Hamas that they are at risk of becoming Hamas themselves.
Many people know that Hamas in Arabic means zeal, strength, or bravery. We call them terrorists because, well…what they do is they do is terrifying. Still, they are fiercely loyal to each other and faithful to their families. Most are very young men with no knowledge of the outside world. They aren’t geopolitical analysts. All they know is that the people on the other side of the wall have been abusing and killing them since the day they were born. Had I been born into a Muslim family in Gaza I almost certainly would have joined them. On the other hand, had I been born an Israeli Jew. I’d have been in the IDF killing Hamas.
Do you suppose it is a coincidence that the word Violence in Hebrew is Chamac pronounced Hamas? Chamac is violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice, oppressor, and unrighteousness. That the earth was filled with Hamas is one of the reasons that God flooded it. Gen 6:11
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.Mat 24:37
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.2 Tim 2:4
All warriors train according to a specific battle plan. They drill and drill and drill again until every movement becomes a part of who they are. If you are going to be a spiritual warrior you must do the same. You must first know God’s plan by studying it. His Word is His plan. Those familiar with the truth are less likely to be deceived by a counterfeit. Still, studying God’s word is not enough.
You must become it.
As Christians, we should know that God is a God of His word. He hasn’t broken His covenant with Israel even though they and we break ours all the time. The Jews may have been Appointed to disobey. But it wasn’t so they would be rejected and condemned. It was part of God’s plan to save all who would be saved including Israel before the foundations of the earth.
Let’s face it. Many of the things coming our way are pretty terrifying. Hamas has called for global Jihad. As I see it, it’s not so much a question of if it happens but when. God makes the inevitability of suffering as the Gospel of the Kingdom is fulfilled clear throughout His word. Hence soldiers always prepare to endure. 2 Tim 2:3
Once again, we have a choice. Will our hearts fail us from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. Luke 21:26 Or will we look up and lift up our heads, because our redemption draws near.”Luke 21:28 Our reaction will be largely determined by how well we have mastered the aforementioned disciplines so that we have enough oil. Mat 25:1-13
Finally, I know that many were encouraged by the grandeur and mystery of God’s perfect plan that we discussed in Appointed. But did you know that
it gets even grander?
While the Jews and the Nation of Israel are the offspring of Jacob, the remaining Arabic people are descendants of Ishmael. Ishmael means God will hear. Many have read Genesis 21 and assumed that Ishmael was rejected and scorned. Yet God promised to also make Him a great nation. Gen 21:18 Ishmael is believed to have settled in Mecca and Muhammad is regarded as his descendant. At the end of the day Jews and Christians are contending with their estranged brother.
Just as we learned that God planned to redeem His disobedient, idolatrous, and adulterous bride Israel and the Church before the foundations of the earth, He has a similar plan for Ishmael.
On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing amid the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”Isaiah 19:24-25
Amidst all the insanity, chaos, and horror resulting from the total depravity of all mankind apart from the blood of Jesus, God is in the process of restoring the entire family of Abraham to which we all belong under one head.
We were headed to North West Arkansas to speak at a Feast of Tabernacles celebration last week when we encountered an annoying delay. I began writing this from a repair shop after hitting a mysterious toolbox on the highway at 75 mph and blowing out two tires. Cathy thought we were about to die when we hit. I was so laser-focused on preventing it that I didn’t have time to think or feel. Ironically only one of three repair shops in the area had two of the tires we needed. “It’s weird.” said the repair man. “We never have these tires.”
“These were delivered this morning.“
Six years overseas taught us a lot about abounding in being brought low, and the secret joy of trusting God in the face of adversity, and material lack. Phil 4:11-23 At the end of the day God always provides wherever He guides. Obedience according to His word is the ultimate protection. It might seem counterintuitive but living in abundance can be more confusing than living abased.
The illusion of security and permanence is so much thicker in the still prosperous first world.
The stark contrast between where we live now versus where we spent the previous six years is almost surreal at times.
Like Honduras, most people scrounge just to survive in most of the world today. Meanwhile, here in the US, people vie for significance and the illusory “next level”. We buy cars and houses and fill them with stuff. We plan vacations and extended vacations called retirement as if tomorrow were promised. Prov 27:1 To question any part of it amounts to swimming upstream against rapids. It’s so much easier and more pleasant to simply go with the flow and be liked by one’s fellow floaters. Otherwise, we’d embrace the truth that most first-world goals are faith’s counterfeit. Little green papers representing debt are not our provider. Insurance policies are not our protectors.
We Americans are an idolatrous bunch.
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14
In a word, we are distracted. We are distracted by our pursuit of material gain. We are distracted by a fear that we do not share enough of our stuff. We are distracted by the threat of losing it. We are distracted by conflict revolving around one group trying to take another group’s stuff. We are distracted by the pressure to take sides. Distraction is the enemy’s primary strategy in the West. I am convinced that part of God’s purpose in sending me overseas was to show me my own level of distraction. In Honduras, I found distraction in my desire to repair the vapor and the sense of purpose I gained from the illusion of thinking I did. We will never fix poverty this side of Jesus’s return. John 12:1-8
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”Luke 10:38-42
Distract (cumbered) is perispáō to draw away, distract to be over-occupied, too busy, about a thing
It’s no coincidence that Israel was attacked on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Whether or not this is the beginning of the prophesied Psalm 83 war, the Ezekiel 38-39 war, or the continuation of the setting of the stage, no human being knows. I would say maybe keep your eye out for Isaiah 17:1. What we do know is that the pressure to align with a side in support of one group killing the other is strong. As believers, we must remember that Jesus died so that all might be saved. His kingdom is not of this world. We weep for Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia alike. In any case, birth pain wars and rumors of warsMat 24:6 remain a sign of the times. Jesus’ instruction regarding our response remains the same.
…see that ye be not troubled:…
for all these things MUST come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Even so, many confuse willful ignorance with faith.Mat 16:3
Now is a the time to be sober minded.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.1Pet 5:8
Therefore, preparing your minds for action,and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.1 Pet 1:13
Sober is Nepho – discreet, to watch, to be calm, and collected in spirit to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect.
One thing is certain. There will be unexpected obstacles in the road ahead that none of us can or will anticipate. Others are prophetically described in scripture provided we know scripture. 2 Tim 2:7-15 Therefore consider that both Grace and Joy are the same root – Cháris in Greek. Then examine where your hope lies.
Work out your own salvation with fear and tremblingPhil 2:12
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!Psalms 139:23-24
Do not be distracted or troubled.
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.Phil 2:13
Believers around the world have been hoping for, praying for, and prophesying revival for decades. It seems that every couple of years someone or some group declares a revival only to have it fizzle out in a few weeks or months. “Ok, maybe it wasn’t an actual revival,” they say. “But lots of people came to the Lord.” That’s wonderful and personal revival can and does happen.
The truth is that since 2020 there has been a 13% drop in church attendance among Gen X and a 30% drop among Gen Z. Add to that the blatant heresies of denominations that support gay marriage, transgendersism, and abortion, and it makes sense that research shows only 6-9% of professing Christians in America maintain a biblical world view. This is understandable given that only 37% of all Christian pastors have a biblical worldview themselves. Gal 1:8-9 Of course this begs the question; how do the researchers define a Biblical worldview?
Seven criteria of belief were measured.
1. A Biblically orthodox understanding of God’s existence and nature.
2. Acknowledgement of being a sinner in need of a saviour.
3. Jesus is the only way to salvation.
4. Absolute moral truth exists; God is the basis of all truth.
5. The Bible is the true and reliable words of God.
6. Success is defined as consistent obedience to God.
7. Life’s purpose is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
If I were a betting man I’d say we are more in line with a 2 Thess 2:3 falling away than the ear-tickling fantasies of contemporary Jerm 14:11-18 prophets.
Unfortunately, one hundred fifty years after its collective repentance and subsequent reprieve as a result of Jonah’s obedience, Nineveh was back in the biblical judgment news.
While Nahum was clear that“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” Nah 1:7like any true prophet he was also clear that God isn’t playing games and “reserves wrath for His enemies.”Nah 1:2
Still the question remains; who are His enemies?
Nahum is clear in his rebuke and declaration of God’s judgment. Nineveh had become a nation of many races and was sustained by greed. Substance abuse was rampant.Nah 1:9-10There was violence in the streets, leaders plotted against the Lord and looting abounded in all its forms.Nah2:9
But looting was not limited to rioters in the streets. Nahum describes Nineveh’s leaders as“swarming locusts, and grasshoppers”. Nahum 3:17 Grasshoppers and locusts pillage and never produce. They disappear in the light of the sun.
As in the days of Jeremiah who rebuked the lying prophets for their ear-tickling false positivity and their claims that God said things that He never did,Jer 14:13-15, Jer 23:9-40, Jer 28 the people of Nineveh had become complacent and oppositional towards God. Perhaps like so many today, they thought they were immune to His judgments. To which Nahum replies,
“Are you better than populous (Thebes)?…” “…(who) “was carried away, into captivity”.Nah 3:8-10
While his meaning may have been euphemious and not quite as literal as my interpretation today, Nahum declares,
“Your people (men ) have become women” the gates of your land are open to your enemies.”Nah 3:13
And finally
“Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; Your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains, And no one gathers them.”Nah 3:18
While the fantasy continues to fall apart there remains a lot of ear-tickling teachers 2 Tim 4:3-4 and prophets assuring us that America shall prosper and abound. They minister to individual self-esteem at the expense of salvation and stoke the flames of personal significance instead of apprehending the fear of our God who is a consuming fire.Heb 12:29
Everyone loves and promotes them. Everyone speaks well of them. Luke 6:26
The Bible is the most positive and hopeful message mankind has ever seen. Yet it is a conditional one. Its time frame is eternal. It demands we abandon our ways and become set apart (Holy). This process begins with individual and collective repentance from sin. 2 Chron 7:14 Apart from this, no message, no word, no action on our part means anything. The idea that the God who does not change Mal 3:6, who is the same today, yesterday and forever,Heb 13:8 would not respond today as He has in the past is incoherent and does not correspond with experiential or biblical reality.
If you compare the state of the world today with the likeness of Israel back then; what do you see? Do you see a pleased God declaring contemporary interpretations of Jeremiah 29:11 over an American society at large or do you see Isaiah 5:20 and Jeremiah 14, 23, and 28? I see a rebellious nation deserving of God’s discipline which is the true context of Jeremiah 29:11. I see that God’s mercy and truth can not be divorced from His righteousness and justice. Psalms 89:14 His judgments on earth are an aspect of His mercy in eternity.
If that idea stumps you then consider that God’s chosen, covenant people were captured 44 times, and besieged 23 times. Jerusalem was destroyed twice and its people were sent into captivity. And yet He will restore them. Rom 11:25-36 Anyone claiming that Old Testament principles do not apply to us today should understand Paul’s words in Rom 11:22 and Heb 12.
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Given that God’s character, plan, and purpose do not change and Ecc 1:9 tells us that history repeats; why would anyone believe that it won’t repeat today? “Surely God would not repeat what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah!”you say.Gen 19, Mat 10:15.
What does true love look like in the context of today?
What kind of messages do people really need?
Nineveh did not repent and was subsequently overrun and destroyed in Nahum’s day.
If revival is what we desire, then perhaps consider this. The first great American revival known as the First Great Awakening began in Enfield Connecticut in 1741 when. Johnathan Edwards preached a sermon titled Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God.
2 Chronicles 7:14, in the spirit of Jesus’ words in Luke 13:1-5 and the Psalmist in Psalms 138:2 remains the most, if not the only relevant starting point for evangelism that might help rekindle the flames of revival in America today.
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
