This post is primarily written to and for Christians. However, even if you do not believe the Bible is the revealed Word of God, you might want to give this post a read, as the Bible is still the single greatest and most accurate book of ancient history known to man. it has never been dis-proven and has lead to discoveries which, had it not been for the Bible, we wouldn’t have even known to look. Why should this interest you if you do not believe? Because we are repeating the mistakes of the past, and since the past is our only guide to the future, we might want to know what happened to those people who traveled the very same road down which we are now rushing, ourselves.
As I said, this post is primarily written to and for Christians. Consequently, I have to assume my intended audience already has a certain level of familiarity with the Scriptures. However, I may be about to tie various pieces of well known Scripture together in a very different way than you may have ever considered it. For the benefit of those who may not know Scripture, I’ll cite the most important passages. But I am relying on my brothers and sisters in Christ to tie the bulk of what follows together for me, from your own knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. And even with your help, this will be lengthy. I pray you will stay with me to the end. It is important, especially since it is not my message….
The Lord started pressing me to write this post a couple weeks ago, but it wasn’t until this morning that I knew He was finally ready for me to sit down and write. I knew when I saw a post from a friend of mine on a primarily political blog, The Rio Norte Line. When I saw my friend had cited the primary passage about which the Lord has been telling me to write, I knew it was affirmation that it was time for me to strengthen the message. So we start with 1 Samuel, verses 10-22:
Warning concerning a King
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. 11 He said, “This will be the [a]procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to [b]do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and [c]use them for his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and [d]appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
This passage is about the people of Israel and how they willingly sold their liberty to become slaves of a tyrant. Even when the Lord warned them what would happen, they demanded to be made slaves. They wanted to be like all the other nations: slaves to their rulers. Today, that is exactly what we are demanding. Whether you think of them as kings or strongmen or even some sort of ‘savior,’ our nation is demanding someone to deliver us from the mess we have made of things, and we are screaming our willingness to surrender our liberty to whomever we believe can deliver on our demand. Obama was portrayed as a savior, but things have gotten worse under his reign. Now we are fighting over a woman who — by all indications — should be in jail for high treason, and a man whose life story indicates he is likely a narcissistic sociopath with absolutely no regard for the rule of law. So why, by anything that even resembles reason, should we expect things to turn out better than they did for Israel?
The thing is, it was not always this way with Israel. They always fought the Lord (Israel means ‘struggles with God’). But, on the whole, the nation feared and obeyed God, and Israel became great as a result. It was not until they turned from Him and demanded an earthly ruler that Israel became corrupt. In fact, they became so corrupt that, eventually, God destroyed them by turning them over to their own depravities.
The same was once true of this nation. Our founders did not seek earthly rulers, but the rule of law — a law based on Scriptural principles. What’s more, they told us so. Or have you forgotten the words with which they ended the Declaration of Independence?
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,…”
Providence: the active hand of God in the earthly affairs of human history. Today, we like to tell ourselves that this is not what they meant by the term, ‘providence,’ but when one consults a dictionary from the time of our founders, one quickly realizes we are wrong: that is exactly what our founding fathers meant when they used it: the active hand of God in human affairs. And because they looked to and trusted in God, this nation prospered like no other in all of recorded history. But now… Now, we have become like the Israelite’s, and unless we turn from our corrupt ways, return to God and repent, we should expect the very same result — destruction.
Before Israel demanded a king, the Lord was their Law (before America started to demand strongmen, the Constitution was our law). After the Lord gave Israel a king, everything He said would happen as a result, happened (since we have started to chase after strongmen, everything the Lord warned would happen to Israel has happened to us). And when the day came that Israel realized what they had done — traded their freedom to become slaves of a man — the Lord refused to hear their pleas for relief (and now — especially when those who call themselves by the Lord’s name chase after people who openly defy God’s Commandments — now, the Lord refuses to hear our pleas for relief). Israel was turned over tot heir own depravity, and was destroyed for it (look around: America has been turned over to its own depravity, and is being destroyed for it). But this is not the hardest part of the message I have been given. The hardest part is that, for far too many of us, our ‘faith’ — if we can even call it that — is useless. It will not save us. We call on the name of the Lord in vane!
I know that this is not a popular message these days, and that many may even stop reading at this point — because they do not want to hear. But I have not been commanded to deliver a message of assurance to a sinful nation, but one of warning — so that those who will hear might still turn and be saved, and so that those who are saved but have lost their way might chose to come home in time to save their reward. So I pray you will keep reading. You must hear what I have to share.
I start with Christ’s words, then work backwards:
37 For [a]the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
These words would have had a far greater impact on those to whom Christ spoke them than they do on most of us today. This is because Christ’s original audience would have immediately understood the implication:
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
In the days of Noah, everyone but Noah was evil. They did whatever they thought was right. It was the same way right before Israel demanded a king:
6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
All of this is tied to the spiritual condition of this nation and, more importantly, the Church. I say this because we have missed the implication of 2 Thessalonians 2. We have been taught that this passage speaks of ‘The’ Antichrist:
Man of Lawlessness
2 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the [a]coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your [b]composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a [c]message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the [d]apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above [e]every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His [f]coming; 9 that is, the one whose [g]coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and [h]signs and false wonders, 10 and with [i]all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God [j]will send upon them [k]a deluding influence so that they will believe [l]what is false, 12 in order that they all may be [m]judged who did not believe the truth, but [n]took pleasure in wickedness.
Now, I do not doubt there will be a powerful world leader at the end of time, and he will wage war on God’s people, but there is no single figure in Scripture known as ‘The’ Antichrist (If you doubt me, read this). No matter what the ultimate meaning of this passage may be, what we should take from it is that the lines I have bolded can (and I believe do) apply to the individual.
Scripture tells us that the Temple is now in the heart of every believer, so the person who says — in his heart — that they can decide what is right and what is wrong for themselves is ‘the man of lawlessness.’ Just as in the days of Noah, and the days before Israel had a king, and today: people are deciding what is right and what is wrong for themselves. They do as they please. They do not fear or obey God’s commands; they obey themselves! When we do this, we are claiming to be God! We take God’s seat (our heart) and we say we make the rules (we claim to be God). We become the man of lawlessness! Now, if you still doubt that 2 Thessalonians 2 applies to everyone individually, please re-read your end times prophecy. I believe you will find that the Lord slays all His enemies with the Word/Breath from His mouth — not just that world leader for whom we’re all so busy trying to identify.
So, who is the man of lawlessness? He/she is the person who says that abortion is not murder! The person who says that sex out of wedlock, or pornography are not adultery! The one who defends a person who has openly violated the laws of the land. The person who supports an individual who proudly boasts that they do not need to ask God for forgiveness because they do not make mistakes. The person who takes advantage of the law to steal (this includes all forms of socialism). The person who bears false witness about others — for any reason. The person who covets (this includes all claims that someone has not ‘paid their fair share’. After all, the Lord demanded the same Temple tax from the poor as He did from the rich). The person who claims ‘all roads get to heaven’ is lawless. The person who claims all gods are one is lawless. In short, anyone who does not obey the Truth — God’s universal moral laws — is lawless and claims in their heart that they are God (because they believe they have authority to set those laws, themselves).
Sadly, this is the state of many who call themselves by the Lord’s name. But for those who do so and actually believe they are still covered by the Blood of Christ, I remind you of Christ’s warning:
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Did you catch that?
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
So who will be saved? Again, it is not I who speak this warning, but the Lord:
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.
God’s Word clearly, repeatedly and forcefully says that His will is for His people to turn to and trust in and rely on Him and Him alone! Not themselves, not other men: Him! So why are we looking to people whose lives clearly show they are far from God and expecting them to make things right? When will we finally listen and turn to the only One who can heal us? When will we just learn to obey His laws…?
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who [a]substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [b]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
[NOTE: I no longer think of my voice as anything special. There was a time when I believed I had something important to say, but not so much these days. I write now because I feel driven to do so. Something inside me will not let me rest until I post the pages you just read. I’d just as soon not bother anymore. It all seems like no one is listening and I do more harm than good. So I have come to trust that whatever it is driving me has all this under control. Personally, I believe it is God, but others may not. All I ask is that, if anything I write helps you, or you think it might help others in any way, please, share this page. Re-blog it, share it on FB or send the link to your friends. So long as you feel it will do more good than harm, then please, use this page however you wish. Thank you.]
The Oil for Your Lamp 