There is so much going on, from fires in the west to storms in the east, and as mentioned before, a mountain of lost lives and shattered families dealing with the after effects of Covid-19 (and a politicized CDC now making the mistake of saying asymptomatic individuals don’t need testing). We have the protection of statues over people. Companies over children.
We have people dying in the streets at the hands of people called to protect them, while the self-identifying religious disregard obvious systemic racism, complaining more about those calling out racism than those doing it. We have whited sepulchres more upset about arson, looting, and rioting (often, even the police have found, instigated and carried out right wing infiltrators to create footage for the right wing to use to blame on the left as per their usual tactics when partaking in their half of overt satanism and covert hegelian dialectic), than the fact that it was a needless, untimely, tragic death that spurred on the protests to begin with.
Or the fact that right-wingers have been murdering people at these protests (on the contrary, certain media figures are essentially praising it… but alas, ever the living, breathing word that it is, John 16:2 told us this, too, didn’t it?).
People more upset about how buildings look the day after, and there being protests against police brutality, in general, than they were about people with automatic rifles entering statehouses to intimidate and threaten the duly-appointed, while screaming, unmasked during a pandemic, in the faces of the same officers those now complaining about protests claim to care so much about the health of.
People refuse to recognize that, regardless of one’s feelings on such, riots are the language of the unheard (the fourth of July’s the celebration of the cumulative equivalent of such having created a country, after all), and that, even Biblically, one’s cup of iniquity does runs over at some point.
Mind you, what happens when that happens? Sometimes fire and brimstone. You can’t approve of the likes of Leviticus 26 and Romans 11:16-21 only when your country or side isn’t the moment’s symbolic equivalent of those led astray, or the broken branches mentioned. You either approve and agree with the Lord allowing periods and varieties of judgement to take place according to His will all the time or none of the time.
Even when you’re the target.
Because “lukewarm” isn’t acceptable.
And 2 Corinthians 13:5 is always a necessity.
Because he was shamelessly featured during the RNC with what seemed to be an incredibly lacking of self-awareness of the hypocrisy of it all, I’ll mention MLK, here, as well – namely, the following quote:
“You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.”
Indeed, righteous judgement takes into account all sides. All perspectives, but not according to appearance. It is swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. It is sympathetic. It is empathetic. It is balanced. It is equitable. It is just. It is righteous. It is godly.
Which is why it is interesting to see the self-identifying religious focus only on the aftermath = what angry, hurt people are doing instead of what made them angry, and what hurt them to begin with; what the real point is, and morality’s persistent, underlying questions. We, in effect, see people ignore what’s been said: “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” (Matt 9:13).
As a result?
The Lord is not happy.
As made evident by how California is up in flames (Hollywood, in particular, where the fires are, has always needed repentance for obvious reasons), but also in how He’s allowed a Cat 4 hurricane on the anniversary of Katrina and a derecho the equivalent of a Category 2-4 hurricane to directly target red states, both left and right are in need heavy repentance, too.
We all are, as a collective country.
For many things, but especially for allowing an administration so obviously antichrist to reign while (hypocritical) false prophets pander for the Evangelical vote, and go around claiming it’s the only godly option available (while, for good measure, said rich people also try to convince us that rich people reaching heaven is easier than the Bible actually says it is).
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness,” (Matt 23:27).
What must be remembered is that all of this (from the sudden and persistent “plague” to the outbreak of so much violence and division) is happening during this administration, and RNC convention, the latter of which, thus far consists of little more than gaslighting and fear mongering about pandemonium to come… using footage of pandemonium already present and being mishandled by the people having the nerve to “warn” that others could possibly do worse than the debacle in place. But that was expected.
As was the misuse of government buildings and areas for it. As was the increasing number of people sitting at each live speech, including tomorrow’s which is said to have 1,500 maskless people, not socially distanced, and fully willing to risk their lives for the one I’ve always considered an easy person to point to as a candidate for the antichrist.
It has been mentioned that the difference between a religion and a cult is that your savior dies for you in the former, but you die for your leader in the latter. The displays we see, have seen, and will see certainly make the latter feel like the case at the moment. A death cult. Terrifyingly so.
As I’ve mentioned, I see 4 more years coming (with, dare I say, his botched, rushed vaccine acting as something of a, if not the mark of the beast), but, whether I’m right or not, it’s foretold that things will get much worse, sadly.
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)
But, interestingly enough, we also see labor boycotts beginning:
Which is good. It means people are awakening to the fact that there are more important things to life than sports, or buildings, or money. That there are many ways to show one aligns with Lord’s words, and that they better establish the legitimate roots of one’s ideals and morality with strength not displayed through the contradiction of voting for blissfully profane, irreverent, unrepentant sinners in exchange for judges under the guise of so-called piety. Or upholding systemic inequality by pretending it doesn’t. Or pretending pledging allegiance to a flag isn’t idolatry. Or obsessing over owning guns doesn’t contradict Matthew 26:51.
There is a reason why Paul was sent to preach to the Gentiles. There is a reason why the Gentiles were included in God’s promise. There is a reason why Jesus, at times, spoke more fondly of Gentiles than He did the likes of the Pharisees. While the biggest names in religion in this country, and their followers largely remain quiet, and often on the very, very, very wrong side of what will be mankind’s history, and certainly Biblical prophecy, what we are witnessing is the equivalent of a Gentile uprising in much the same way we see in the Bible. That is important.
Incredibly important.
Why?
Because non-Christians can’t “fall away” from Christianity.
That’s something only self-identifying Christians can do.
But, I am grateful. Ever so soul-achingly grateful, and made more hopeful, not only by our Lord’s promises, but by the fact that there are, indeed, still fellow Christians out there who get it, not only on a surface-level morality level, but on a spiritual one, as well. Not as many as we’d hope for, yes, but that, too, is prophesied, so we rejoice that despite it all… they are out there.
And, thankfully, will continue to be. Voices crying out in the wind.
There are seven churches. And just because the majority of America seems to be comprised of Laodicea, Sardis, and the others, doesn’t mean Philadelphia doesn’t still exist, too.
Praise the Lord, even in within all of this despair, it still does.
Please pray for the lost, the wayward, the fallen away, and those falling.
And in every thing give thanks, for there is still hope.
Additional links:
http://www.antipasministries.com/articles.htm
(Note: While I recommend this site to others, I would focus on the archives only, unless using them to compare to the newer blogs by the author’s son. Please see my blog post here for why).