What is Coming, Our Response.

Rising or setting sun – NARA – 557629 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shadows, Against the Setting Sun

You perceive and are concerned at the approach of what is coming.  What is appearing is new to the earth’s people.  No one has ever seen what is about to unfold.  Yet all of God’s people sense a new and darker night.

All around you is terror, the blackness of sin. The whispers of troubles are like the buzzing of flies around a carcass; though you are not near enough to see them you hear them.  The smell of blood is so pungent, it is even heard in your ears; thick and palpable.

Steady and unceasing they come.  One by one the stolid are crushed by the laws of lawless men.

Wickedness assails your walls and laughs, that they enter what is sacred.  They rip at what has been respected.  And they mock at what has been plainly understood as Holy in ages past.  With gleaming eyes of joy they marvel at the ease of conquest.  It has become their day to shine in darkness.

It was spoken of them by all the true prophets of God centuries ago.  And now they appear on the horizon as shadows, in the brightness of the setting sun.  As shadows they advance, mute before God, all the while screaming wickedly vile words to men.  They appear before us now.  As the sound of an approaching army’s feet can be heard before they crest the hill.  So these men are but a precursor of the lawless one.  He must come, for our God has given him his proper place at the proper time.  The shadow of the lawless one now fills the land.

Your children huddle against you and cry with bone felt terror.  The mother of your children quakes and trembles.  And the father looks about anxious at the advancing horde.  With perplexity; they pester like gnats, with perplexity.

God’s people stand unsure of what is coming.  For no one of us have seen this before.  The weak capitulate, for they did not gain strength. Blind in their way, they give in to wicked words.  But the strong will see the hand of God redeem them!  With wisdom and understanding He will redeem them.

By command of law they order the end of sacrifice to the Living God, through Jesus.  But they will not prevail.  Those whom He has loved will not leave His side.  These are blessed to endure.

Fear not!  Our God has eyes to see.  Do not be amazed at their bold folly.  Though they tear you apart, they simply render what is God’s to God.  He will take care of you forever.  And He will soon enough respond to the wicked who have sent you to Him.

Stand with strength at the onslaught of wicked men.  Lies are their gods, and they worship them with a fever.  They will not stand before the God who will take you as His very own.  He has promised salvation to all who call upon His Holy name, with a holy faith in His Son Jesus.  He does not lie.  And He is not powerless.

Strength my brothers!  Flex your tired limbs.  Prepare yourself for the sake of your children (either by blood or by Spirit).  Cause them to know what “The Faith” really is.  Increase yourself in “The Way” for the sake of His Holy Name.  Honor His gift of salvation before men.

Prepare, for the day is approaching with speed and certainty.  If you wait too long there will be no time to prepare.  And you will be caught in the whirlwind of the wicked many, who even now, are plotting your ruin.

At the sound of a trumpet they will break their amassing.  And they will be sent out to deliver evil in every possible form.  Death goes with them.  Prepare.

As it always was, it will be forever.  Those who put their trust in the Living God will flourish under trial.  They will rise up as victors at the sound of His voice!

You who are not prepared and have not taken understanding from the Lord, now is the time to rectify what is lacking.  When it appears in full bloom it will be far too late to fortify your faith.  You will become paralyzed with the fear they have come to inflict.

Do not mistake their ability, they do their duty to their master, the liar, exceedingly well.

Do not think to yourself that you can hide behind the word “Jesus” as men who stand before advancing lava with a cross.  It is that very string of letters the wicked are coming to destroy.  They will seek to wipe out His Holy name from this earth.  But all they perceive is a word.  Of the Spirit, they know nothing.  And when they are finished with that task they will turn their blood thirst on one another.

They have come to perplex.  But they have been born from that same weapon.  They command all to lie, for they are liars themselves.   A confession of faith without the resulting actions of the proof of a holy life, is but waste into idolatry.

Rise up and serve the Living God in truth, wisdom, and the Spirit of God.  This is the proof He is looking for.  This is the Spirit within His people.  This is the saving religion of Christianity.

With their lies comes a fake (ungodly) sincerity.  They work the works of their own imagination, perceiving themselves to be godly.  Do not be fooled.  He who serves the Living God does the works of the Living God.  He who does not, stands against Him.

Stand the ground He has given you to retain.  And do not be swayed by their apparent “righteousness”.  They are liars who promote the welfare of man, while they have no regard for the Living God.

Do not be fooled by the sweetness of the incense they carry.  It is a foul smelling incense created at the imagination of man’s desire to rebel against the will of God.  They seek their own glory; an abomination before the Most High God.  It is folly they burn as if to a god.

They repel at the mention of His Holy Name.  His name sickens their heart.  For they consider their ways far more entrancingly beautiful.  They are like men who saw their way through the fortress wall, thinking a window, with a breath taking view of their gore, is better than the “perceived safety” of “The Way”.  All the while they hire the enemy to do the work for them, and how glad he is to help for a price.

“Peace.  Peace”, they say.  But they will not promote true peace of God, nor allow others to obtain it so as to live by it.  Peace is found in obeying the will of the Father in heaven through Jesus, the very thing they detest.

Do not stand with them, nor welcome their words.  We live by a far greater Word.  They will be shown and known by the message they bear.  Prison, public rebukes, out-casting, and even death are their weapons of choice.  And they will retain the power to carry them through for a season.  Do not be fooled, nor allow yourself to continue sleeping.

Remember the true word spoken to us:  “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.”  (Mark 13:22)  The Lord Jesus has told us ahead of time what will come.  And now we are seeing it unfold.

Fear belongs to the wicked.  Strength remains in those who put their trust in the Living God’s Son, Jesus.  There is a peace which passes all understanding.  This peace is received from He who is Eternal Peace.

Though the wicked call on His name, they use only their lips, for their hearts are as hard as stone.  They do not receive what they desire so they contrive their own methods of “peace”.  It will not satisfy their thirst for the wickedness of self glorification however.  And they will grow restless to the point of riot.

This word is sent out to encourage, strengthen, warn, and define limits.  God divides what is His and what is not.  If you read this and are unsure of where you stand with Him, I encourage you to make every effort to enter in now.  There is a day coming when the door will be shut.

24 “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out. 29 Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. 30 But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  (Luke 13)

Beware.  Identifying yourself with the religion of man (even if it comes dressed as Christianity) does not identify you as belonging to the Lord Jesus.  There is a distinct difference between traditions of man and the Spirit of the Living God.

I can do no more than post this message.  I ask that it be passed to those who might benefit.  Or at least the summation of this message would do well in the hands of those blessed with understanding.  May God grant that it is a cool drink of pure water to a parched people.

Night is falling upon the world.  And what a dense black night it will be!  And may He grant wisdom to understanding for those who lack knowledge in the Spirit of God.  Amen.

Follow Up to Article on Isolation and Greed

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak, a Medieval Armenian scribe and miniaturist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Behold! A rather lengthy preface:

I wrote an article about isolation and greed.  And I am sure it is of value.  But I had added what follows.  The Lord showed me that what you are about to read should not accompany that article about desire.  This addition is harsh.  I will warn you of that.  Being a man, however, I feel it necessary to post this.  There is jail for criminals.  And the court system necessary to put them there is not kind and cuddly.  In this same fashion I present this for those who would ridicule the message about greed and desire.  I am obviously compelled to agree with the Lord in His wisdom.  It is His perfect right to divide what belongs among men from what is God’s.  Men are allowed to have words among themselves about what is right.

I say what follows as a man who will stand judgment just like the rest of you.  It is meant to shock. It is meant as an alarm to a heavy sleeper.  It is loud and does not pull any punches in the war against foolishness.  It is a very concentrated warning to the proud.  In my mind (perhaps the only valid place for such a message) it mirrors the messages which brought America to its knees in the early part of last century.  Truth is often so very unwelcome among us.  And this rings more true among the proud.

This message is not the kind, loving, and cuddly message that a father might give his dear child.  It is more like that message a judge might give just before rendering the sentence to a criminal.  I am not any man’s judge.  But I do feel compelled to offer this helpful tool in the rehabilitation of those who think they are beyond the Gospel’s reach.  That is to say, those who think they are better than everyone else and who do not need to learn about the restraint of greed or desire.

I suppose the Lord decided to leave this message apart from the other because such foolish men would not likely read it anyway.  And there is no need to shrink the heart’s faith of those who are striving to obey the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  On that note, it is likely a waste of time to post this.  But I feel the urge to scratch an itch.  Maybe that’s all this is.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the real ending to the post about greed:

Now, I know, there are some seriously hard-nosed people who will laugh at this message.  They will mock its author because they will say, “He just gives up because he can’t compete in the real world.”  Do you who laugh really think there is no message for you in this?  Do you think words can’t be produced and strung together so as to penetrate your hardened heart?  Do you think I had finished the message without considering what applies to you?  Prepare yourself and I will have a word presented for your sake:

Look at you.  Take a good look at who you really are.  You are like a driver on the interstate who wants to be first.  Look at how utterly foolish that concept is.  Were you the first one to ever drive on the finished road?  And you want to be first at what?  The construction crews even beat you to your perceived proper place in society.   You destroy the desires of others because you consider yourself to be more important.  You foolish man or woman!  You live in a world, which you call the “real world”, as one who travels where millions have gone before you, all the while thinking you are the only one who has ever gone this way.  Look at how foolish and wickedly stupid that idea is.  Yet you mock me because I say that being first is an utterly worthless and destructive endeavor, it is less than nothing.  Look at yourself for a change.  It will be like a fire if you have the guts to do it.  That fire already consumes you and you do not notice.  You rot like a dead pig in the hot sun.  And you can’t smell the stench of your ways.  Yet you mock what is true.

I am harsh with you because, if you inhabit that mocking attitude, you deserve harsh treatment.  The “REAL WORLD” is in eternity.  And eternity is now, as it has already been established in this message.  Yet you mock.  If stupid needs to be defined, I just did.  I would wager such people think that God will gladly receive them because they were strong enough to endure anything that stood against their desire.  Foolishness!  You endure against the Holy God of all eternity for the sake of your sinful and selfish desires!  And, rest assured, He will call you to account for that attitude and those actions.

You are the ones who wake in the morning, carry out your day, and plot on your bed, so that you will be “first” in your “real world”.  You consider anyone who defies your stupidity as a fool.  All the more then, you add to your self-made plight.  Selfishness is pure vanity.  Vanity is less than nothing; it is destructive, completely worthless; a drought of value.  It is worthless dribble from the slobbering mouth of a man who cannot tell the truth from a lie.  Harshness is what you deal to yourself.  I am only like a bird in a tree, chirping, singing what is true regardless the perception of the receiver.  You do not hear truth because your ears are filled with the song of “ME”.  And you chide this man for telling you the truth!  So be it.  Either listen to what has been spoken or continue in your way.  What is that to me?  It will be something to you.

What is spoken in the message about greed stands firm.  All your railing will not change one iota of truth.  I have some serious advice for you.  Perhaps I should say God has a message of advice for you.  Shut your slobbering mouth for a while.  Straighten your lips from a smile to a look of serious consideration.  Allow your ears to stop the song of “Me”.  Look around you and consider that you were born when you were.  You were never first!  And you will never be the last!  Nothing is available to you in which you can claim any ownership of “first”.  You will be lumped together with all humanity when God judges us.  And you will stand in that crowd of billions all alone, waiting your turn to give account of yourself.  Even in that place you will not be first.  All your strivings will amount to horror as you realize what you have done with the life God gave you, and now demands an accounting of.  And you laugh at me?

Do you still laugh?  Then have your fill.  Laugh and mock at these things.  Laugh till you vomit.  Enjoy yourself with the trash you hold so dear.  Again, what is that to me?  You have been warned (If, indeed, you had just enough unselfishness to read to this point).

Isolation and Greed

Isolation (2005 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Politics has to do with the things of man.  The meaning comes from the Greek word “Polis”, which means city.  For where there is a city there are people.  And where there are people there are the things of people.  Someone has to govern for the sake of survival.  And why do people need a governor?  We need a governor because of our greed.

As an example: We put governors on engines so that the user won’t exceed a certain use of the engine.  And this usually has to do with speed, though the governor on a lawn mower engine is to limit its rpm so that the materials used in building the engine won’t be caused harm from too much friction or vibration.

I hate politics, because I hate greed.  But what am I to do?   There is even politics between one man and God.  He is my governor, if you will.  He limits us all, individually, according to His wisdom so that we won’t destroy ourselves or others because of our greed.  He even limits the ungodly and the sinner, in full sight of God and man.

In considering this today, I came to a startling understanding.  You could punish me by putting me in a crowd of people for 30 years.  Others would be punished by isolation.  But I fear I would thrive there.  Interactions with others, are always filled with greed, no matter how much each of us desires to be rid of it.  One wants this, another wants that.   And, before they are even aware, a friction is born between them.  Greed is going to be a given as long as we have things to own.  And this is why I hate crowds.  The more people gathering in one spot the more possibility for friction between them.

The only way this friction of greed can be limited is if there is no end to the resources and each person has exactly what they want.  Greed cannot exist if there is no desire.  But where, on earth, will you find such a place?  The only place on earth where greed can be killed is by loving isolation and poverty of the things that others desire.  This is why I have come to love isolation. And this is the reason I own very few things.  The more isolation the less friction. The less isolation there is, more is the potential for friction.  In a crowd the potential for friction between people grows exponentially with the number in the crowd.  Why do the police learn riot control?

Most people will read this and think to themselves, “Poor man, he doesn’t know the value of friends and loved ones.”  I will tell you, that’s simply not true.  I do know the value of friends and loved ones.  But the greed born in us, all too often, outweighs the positive potential.  So I have learned that being alone is more to be desired than fame, popularity, or an embrace by those who only love me on the surface.

Is isolation the only answer?  Absolutely not!  Deliverance from greed is the answer.  What we desire is the key.  Do you want to kill greed?  Then allow the Lord to govern your desires.  That’s the ticket out of this mess of a humanity starving for ownership.  Remember what James said about this?

 

“1 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? 2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.”   (James 4)

 

Even with me, greed enters in.  For I want isolation from the greed of others.  But this is not pure Christianity.  For the message of the Gospel is delivered to everyone.  And isolation does the purpose of the Gospel no good at all.  So I am compelled to endure the greed of myself, and that of others, for the sake of the Lord who calls us all to unity.  Is this plight of humanity uncomfortable?  Absolutely!  But what shall we do?  The fix is not to gain anything and everything  we want.  The fix is to stop wanting what is “best” for ourselves.  In this we end up desiring what is truly best.

 

But to achieve this we need (without question) the wisdom of God.  What man can know what is truly best for everyone he meets?  Remember what James said about Godly wisdom?  “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  (James 1: 5-8)  So I endure the nearness of others for the sake of the Lord who calls to me and for the sake of the others the Lord is also calling.

 

Now, surely there is one or two who will desire to help me over come this problem with humanity.  Perhaps they will desire to come along side me and show me what love is all about.  No thanks.  If you want to help me in this, help yourself.  Lay down your desires and turn to the Lord out of a pure heart.  Then you can be of great help to every person you come into contact with.  That is exactly what I am trying to do every day.  And it is exactly this the Lord commands all men to learn so that they do it.

Consider this:  I’m a truck driver.  All day long I witness people shove their desires in the face of others.  And all this is for the simple sake of getting where they want to be.  If where they find themselves were their only desire, there would be no need for their greedy ways on the highway.  I see it the worst in other truckers.  They are compelled to be in a certain place by a certain time or they might lose their job.  And even when they are not compelled by time constraints, they have taught themselves to react to speed and position on the road with an aggressive attitude.

I have learned (or perhaps I should say, “am learning”) to take my place according to what is best for all.  Some need to be taught to wait.  Some need more room because they will actually become enraged if you block them in.  And some simply aren’t paying attention to their surroundings.  Others are in a sincere hurry but are at the top of their game in controlling their desire, reaction to delay, and attitude. The latter few will receive respect from me.  And they are not hard to notice.  People behind the wheel of steel are a curious lot.  If their actions were done in a steelless environment, blood would flow from fists that fly.  And all this is because of greed.  How utterly foolish!

Perhaps a man thinks that he will rise up in the morning, ask God for wisdom, inhabit that wisdom all the rest of his days, and never again come to the place where he flounders in his desires (the point of this man’s mind is that he thinks he will never again have to talk to God for what he thinks he needs; selfishness).  This is not the case.  For the wisdom of God is given to man as man encounters a need for it.

We eat when we are hungry so that we can continue to do the things necessary.  And we do not eat the same food over and over.  A new plate of food is required for each eating moment.  How is it that we don’t perceive this in the way of God’s gift of wisdom?  Instead, most men will ask for wisdom and consider that what they have just been given is sufficient for every purpose.  That man is like one who sits at breakfast and considers that his plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and milk will last him until the next morning.  And from my experience, you don’t drink milk in the same way as you ingest a piece of bacon.  God has designed us to require what is good on a moment by moment basis.  And it will not be taken out-of-the-way as long as we inhabit this bag of blood, that bag which is so very full of all kinds of greed.

God has granted us eternity.  Eternity is not yesterday.  And eternity is not tomorrow.  Eternity is now.  The very moment your eyes read this next word is eternity.  Eternity is where God IS.  He has been there for eternity and will be in that same place forever.  He demands that we learn to live in that eternity which belongs to Him.  And in living that eternal present, we learn to overcome the desires of the future as well as the regrets of the past.  Understand this.  Because it is in this very understanding that we find release from desire.  Jesus promises to forgive the past and lead us as the future becomes the now.  Our response to that truth becomes our religion.

Wisdom Received

Seven Pillars of Wisdom rock formation in Wadi Rum, Jordan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Eternity measured in men.

I slept and I dreamt of a youth who now can.

You cause me to dance, and I’m an old man.

Aerobic limbs mount my limbs, I am not lame!

I spin like a child, with uncanny aim.

The Bauble is cast and I catch it with ease.

With laughter, by Your grace, I dance to please.

Explosive, unexpected I’m bathed in Your blessing.

And they watch in amazement as Your touch sends me reeling.

I leap at the wall and bounce away cloudless.

My hands are my feet, ability boundless.

My body, a spring bouncing high in the air.

And gravity denied, bruise’s rightful heir.

Wisdom is given and received with great joy.

And I turn, spin, and toss, What a happy little boy.

All this because of You.

To God, give His due!

The Way

Iceland - The End. (Photo credit: alicethewhale)

I perceive a powerful meaning today.  I see that “The Way” of Christ Jesus among men is impossible to walk by the will of man alone.  For my brothers and sisters this is understood.  But for those who do not know these things I relay this truth.

For a man to be consumed with purity before the Most High God, and to love his fellow man willingly and quickly, without reservation, is far too much to ask.  On the one hand, a man will become consumed with self as he strives with all his might to obey what is pure and true.  On the same hand, he will be asked to render complete forgiveness to others and that without judging; a sacrifice of self for the sake of others.  What an odd and perplexing difficulty.  Only the “God man” can accomplish this (that man who has surrendered to the will of God and has accepted God’s “terms of peace”).  Only those who have received power from God can make this happen.  A simply religious man will not gain “The Way”.  The Spirit alone gives the strength, wisdom, understanding, and forgiveness from Christ, to accomplish “The Way”.

The world is quite keen to point out these things to Christians.  “You judge me”, they will say to us.  And they count it unfair, even illegal for us to do so.  By this accusation they prove that they know they are condemned.  But they do not understand the difficulty presented to God’s people.  They only respond by virtue of the knife which is thrust through their soul by remarks made against wickedness.

Now I am not advocating that “The Way” is too hard.  Though no man can walk this way by his own power, God has granted the understanding and means to accomplish this.  The primary accusation against God was that He asked too much of His creation.  I am convinced that the primary accusation is the very reason for the entire universe, up to , and including, the death of His Holy Son on a Cross.  And we should never join in that bitter song of accusation against our God.  Instead, we testify that it is entirely possible to walk according to the law of God.  And this appears within us because He has made it possible by the Holy Spirit He has freely given us.

I am pointing this out for the sake of my weaker brothers and sisters.  This article admits that “The Way” is difficult to attain and remain.  This is a testimony from man’s perspective.  It is not God’s perspective.  His expectations upon us are quite clear.  “Attain release from sin by My Son’s sacrifice.  And hold no ill will against those who hate My ways and you”, God could be said to say.

There is a truce to strike between God and man, terms of peace to comprehend.  There is a building to build which cannot be built by our own will.  And anyone who sets out to accuse “The Way” of being too difficult remains in a blind state.  They remain in the state of utter destruction.  It is given to those who have struck a truce between themselves and The Holy God, through Jesus, to live their lives in a manner pleasing to Him.  Those who do not receive the terms of peace remain in death.

You who accuse us of unfairness and illegal activity know nothing of “The Way”.  You simply fend us off from your selfishness by making accusations unfounded.  And your way is not hidden from the Wisdom of God within us.  Instead of accusing you should accept the terms of peace the Most High God has prepared for all men.  Then you would be able to prove what is true.   And you would no longer be at odds against the Lord of Life, or His people.  If you hold us against the Holy Law of God and find fault in us, what will be said of you?  In this you judge us, even while you accuse us of judging you.  God has plainly said that when we judge our brothers we are judging The God who made them.   You walk your way according to your own desire, accusing, finding fault, and carrying on as if there was no judgment.  Surely you will be proclaimed as an accuser.  What, then, will be your plight?  Join us and live.  Come to see the perplexing difficulty, which is “The Way”, for yourself.  Taste and know that the Lord is good.

28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. 30 They will say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’ 31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.”  (Luke 14)

Giving Due Where Due is Due

Perception (Photo credit: Genna G)

I have often had rather harsh words with atheists.  But I will admit something crucial.  Those who are active atheists are not stupid people.  And though they stand in their life as enemies of the Cross of Christ, they are not my personal enemy.  That is to say, if I met them on the street and we had the kinds of discussions we have here, I can assure you there would be absolutely no physical signs of hatred.  We are enemies of concept, at the least, and of pride, to say the most.

I write this because I know that these men consider what presents itself to their senses.  And they are just as adept at perception of possible lies as I am in the Lord.  The only difference, as the chasm it is, is that they rely on what is seen alone while Christians are able to rely on both the perceived and the invisible.

These men (ok….. and women) are not stupid.  And once they have perceived something worth looking into they will pounce on it like a hungry tiger.  The same vigor they use to fight for the sake of what is perceived is the same strength they will use once they taste a possible truth in the message of Christianity.  And if one of them comes to know the Lord, watch out!  All heaven on earth is about to break loose.