What Now America...What Now Church?*

Recently, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe V. Wade decision regarding abortion fifty years after the original decision had changed the laws of the nation. As Rabbi Jonathan Cahn wrote in his newest book, Israel was often saved from the brink of God's judgment by removing the altars that had been built to false gods like Ba'al and Molech, both of which were connected to child sacrifice. The tearing down of these ungodly altars could have been a sign of revival in Israel at the time, or it could have been an anomaly in the nation's continuing fall from God. Will we rise up at this time and fulfill 2 Chron. 7:14, and its spiritual warfare of repentance? Our warfare is not natural, with guns and violence, or even politics, but it is spiritual, through repentance, faith, and the Word of God. God hates sin, which leads to death, but God loves the sinner. For this reason, God sent His Son to die in the place of all sinners who will accept Him. What will America choose? What will the Church choose? Paul wrote about the conditions in the last days, and we see those same things now: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Tim. 3:1-5). We certainly see this in man today. Paul wrote that even though "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived", we, the believers are to continue and hold fast in what we have been taught by the apostles of the faith, and the holy scriptures, even as persecution comes against those of faith (v. 10-14). We are seeing the beginning of persecution in this nation, as the preaching and speaking of God's Word is being silenced by law, even in pulpits. However, Paul commands Timothy: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (2 Tim. 4:2). There will come a time, wrote Paul, that because men's lusts, their destructive desires of various kinds, will rule them, Godly doctrine will no longer be tolerated (v. 4). Jude, the brother of Jesus Christ, wrote of similar concerns. He exhorted the believers to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares...ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord, Jesus Christ." (v. 3-4). Jude added that God had dealt with this kind of ungodliness in scripture as examples for us. He dealt with unbelieving Israelites, after He delivered them from Egypt, who had seen the power of God, but did not believe Him. Angels, who rebelled against their place, were chained in the pit as a result. Sodom and Gomorrah, condemned to eternal fire, chose fornication and strange flesh rather than the knowledge of God. "Woe unto them!" (v. 5-11). People who knew God, such as Cain, Balaam, and Korah, chose their own gain instead of God. Jude wrote that the Lord will bring judgment against the ungodly for "all of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him", the Lord. (v. 15). These ungodly people are fruitless, shameless, without fear of God, and condemned to the darkness forever (v. 12-13). In "the last time", they are the mockers who walk after their own ungodly lusts...having not the Spirit (v. 18-19), as Paul also said, above. Believers, on the other hand, should build themselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of Jesus unto eternal life. It is He who preserves us, and keeps us from likewise falling (v. 1, 20-24). Peter, another apostle, wrote about these issues also: "...there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...their damnation slumbereth not." (2 Peter 2:1-3). Like Jude above, Peter also wrote of the examples in scripture where judgment followed intentional ungodliness: the angels that sinned and were cast down to hell in chains of darkness; the sparing of Noah, while the ungodly were destroyed in the flood; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, while delivering Lot, who was considered righteous and just by God (v. 4-8). The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from destructive temptation, while reserving the ungodly, who walk after the flesh in lust, for His judgment (v. 9-10). There is a danger from those who walk in unrighteousness towards those who know God: "For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error...For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, and the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." (v. 18, 20-21). These who had formerly been saved through Christ, but turned back because of the influence of the ungodly, are compared to a dog returning to its vomit (v. 22, see Prov. 26:11). These ungodly men try to pull both you, and the nation, back from God. We are seeing the judgment of God in this nation through violence, pandemic, and destruction. As Paul and Jude above, Peter also warned: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." (2 Pet. 3:3). They scoff at the idea of judgment, because all seems to continue the same, while they willingly ignore the previous judgment of the great flood by which the world perished (v. 4-6). The same Word of judgment has now reserved the heavens and earth for the judgment of fire, rather than water. This fire is so consuming, that all elements will melt from its fervent heat (v. 7, 10). The only reason that we have not seen this judgment yet is because the Lord is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (v. 9). Again the question is asked by Peter that, considering all of these dangers of the last days, "what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness...?" (v. 11). So what now, America...what now, Church? King David in Psalm 12, cried to the LORD, saying, "...the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fall from among the children of men." They flatter and speak empty, vain things. They say as they please, refusing the Lordship of God over themselves, their words. They oppress the poor until the poor cry out before the LORD. "The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted." We see this today in that the vile have been promoted to the highest positions until the wicked think that they can do their wickedness without suffering any ramifications. However, David assured us: "The words of the LORD are pure: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." When a silversmith purifies silver, he repeats it until the silver is pure enough that the smith can see his face reflected in it. The Lord Jesus had this pure Word for all seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Although they almost all had failings that could lead to their destruction, He urged them to be overcomers. The rewards that the Lord promised to each overcoming church are the same rewards that all believers are promised if they abide in Christ: to eat of the tree of life; to be spared from the second death; to eat of the hidden manna and to receive a white stone with your new name written upon it; to rule over nations and to receive the Morning Star, which is Jesus Christ Himself; to be clothed in white raiment, which is the clothing of righteousness, to have your name remain in the Book of Life, and to have your name declared before the Father and His angels by Jesus; to be made a pillar in God's temple, and to have the name of God, the city of New Jerusalem, and Christ's new name written, or more accurately engraved, upon you. Even to the lukewarm church of Laodicea, whom the Lord called "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked", if they would overcome, Jesus promised to them and to us: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." The solution is not found in the wicked nor in this world, but in 2 Chron. 7:14 - If the people of God will repent. Jesus told us to judge ourselves, so we will not be judged. We know that judgment begins in the house and with the people of God. In the parable of the talents, the Master gave each one talents, and expected to see the increase from those talents. What are we doing with the "talents" that have been given to us? Our nation, like Israel of old, is standing near judgment. What now, America? What now, Church? *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 11/27/2022 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook.

Choices Make Destiny

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."

 

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

 

The quotes above are from Abraham Lincoln. Another quote that has been attributed to Lincoln is:

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

 

During this week when we celebrate the independence of this nation, we should keep in mind that this nation was founded on the Bible. The founding fathers made choices concerning the guiding principles of this country, and they always chose to fall back upon scriptural truth. There are choices to be made by us as individuals and as a nation in this present time as well. Whole destinies, even into future generations, will be determined by the choices that we make today. Each choice yields a specific result, and this is a Biblical truth as well.

The LORD instructed the children of Israel, as they were about to come into the land of covenant promise, that both the blessing and the curse were set before them. If they made the choice to obey the voice of God, and all that He commanded them with all of their heart, and soul, the blessing that follows that obedience would be carried into future generations. The LORD promised that the blessing from the choice of obedience would even carry to over a thousand years in the future, when the LORD would turn and gather a future generation from captivity from all the nations, and return them to their land. Not only would they be returned, but they would be prospered beyond anything their forefathers had known (Deut. 30:1-5). The LORD went on to promise:

"...the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand...and in the fruit of thy land, for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers: IF thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and IF thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul...for this commandment is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off...But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil."  Deut. 30:9-15
The commandments of God, and the resulting blessing found in the choice of obedience to them, was not something that was a hidden knowledge, but the LORD made very clear that the people could easily know the way to blessing. Not only is it written, not only has He made sure that it comes out of our mouths, but He has even placed it in or hearts not just to speak, but to DO. We cannot say, "But LORD we didn't know we were choosing the curse instead of the blessing."
So here is the curse that also comes from a choice that we make:
"...if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them, I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish...you shall not prolong your days upon the land. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."   Deut. 30:17-20
The choice to turn away from God, to separate from Him, to serve other gods, not only brings the curse of death to the chooser, but to the future generations. Life and blessing are only found in this God, not in any others.
Joshua placed the same choice before the children of Israel after they came into the covenant land, and after the idolatrous kings and people had been displaced. Joshua had to tell the people to fear and serve the LORD in sincerity and truth, and to put away the gods which their fathers had served, and the gods of those (the Amorites-the greatest and most powerful of the peoples, who were powerful no longer) who had inhabited the land before them. The fact that Joshua had to tell the Israelites to put the idols/gods away must have meant that they were worshipping them, even after all the wonderful things that God had done for them. Joshua went on to make the choice clear:
"...if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD....If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that He hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD." 
                                                                                                    Josh. 24:14-21
Joshua recorded in the book of the law the choice made by the people that day. However, all creation witnesses the choices we make. Joshua set a great stone as a monument of all that the LORD had spoken to them that day, "...for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which He spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God."
Jesus also spoke about the witness of the rocks and stones, when the Pharisees tried to stop the praise to the King, Jesus, who comes in the name of the LORD:
"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."  Lk. 19:40
Man may try to pretend that he does not know the truth when he makes a choice, but even the rocks know, and declare it.
We may say that we are not like the children of Israel. We do not worship nor serve other gods. However, we do worship and serve other gods, and we do make a choice to turn away from our God, when we deny His commandments and embrace the doctrines and practices of these other strange gods. As a nation, we have removed the names of God, and Jesus from our schools and the education we give our children, many times while teaching the names of other gods in their place. We have removed the name and the words of God from our public and government sectors. A threatening atmosphere has been established against any and all who choose God, and His commandments.
When the religious council tried to threaten the disciples of Jesus against continuing to speak and heal in the name of Jesus, even when the miraculous healing was right in front of their eyes and couldn't be denied, the disciples had to make a choice. So Peter responded, ",,,we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."  (Acts 4:8-22).
Those in our nation who continue to speak the name of Jesus, and speak and live by the Word of God, are threatened and falsely accused of hate and intolerance. The Word of God clearly enumerates the curses that come when the choice is made to refuse to retain God in our knowledge. Even though our nation may call these choices holy and acceptable before God, the people of God are commanded not to partake of them, and their resulting consequences (Rom. 1:21-32). Destinies are changed by our good or evil choices, and God has not hidden His Word from us, for us to be unsure which is good, and which is evil.
When we as a nation, choose to legalize and affirm the killing of unborn children, we are following after the worship and practices of the false gods Molech and Chilion. The worship of these gods demanded the death of children through fire. We cannot say that we didn't know that we were choosing to turn away from God and His commandments, choosing instead the curse. God's Word clearly says that He hates the shedding of innocent blood (Prov. 6:16-19, Isa. 59:6-8, Jer. 7:6-7. Joel 3:19).
These are only two examples where our nation and people have chosen to turn away from the LORD and His commandments, and have chosen the curse, rather than the blessing, death rather than life, and evil rather than good..
The choices are set before us individually, and as a nation. Choose good, choose life, choose to cleave to God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul. This is the choice that carries with it the blessing of God for the destiny of each person, of the land, and even of future generations. When we, the people of God, turn away from the choice of the curse, and turn back to our God, He will hear from heaven, and He will also heal our land (2 Chron. 7:14).
 

Recommended Viewing: "Monumental" (Documentary): http://www.monumentalmovie.com/

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Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior:Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart. I want to know You as my Lord, and as my Savior, who covers my sins, and cleanses my heart. Come into my heart, forgive me, and fill me with the Holy Spirit, who will lead me into all truth, and will teach me how to follow You. I believe that You are the Son of God, the Messiah, that You were crucified for me, and rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I believe that You are coming again. Lord Jesus, in Your name I believe, pray, and receive all of these things. Amen.