The essence of beauty contained in the delicately carved container,trembled in my shaking hands as I moved towards him. He smiled so sweetly that I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest. The veil I was wearing fell softly down my sholder as I knelt at his feet while the frowns behind me bore into my back like a sharp blade. I removed his sandals with my still trembling hands,ever concious of the scorn that surrounded me. But when I looked up into his beautiful face all the murmurs fell silent in the warmth of his love.
"Master" I whispered He continued to gaze deeply into my eyes, seeming to look into my very soul as I opened the alabaster box." I give you my life.Though it cost me all I have,for you alone are worthy." The costly aromatic ointment filled the room and the scorn turned suddenly to shame.
I poured my spikenard gift upon his feet and wept.Possessing no other treasure but my very self, I gave him all that I had. The whole of my being I surrendered to sit in the presence of his magesty.At his feet,serving him,loving him,giving to him.
The voices of men were drowned out in the glory of his beauty and I did not need their approval. It was only him that mattered. Only his love I wanted,desired,cried out for. He smiled at me once again and I knew my past did not exist any more. I was washed in his forgiveness and the alabaster box,empty in my hands,bore witnesss.
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33
One of the most distinctive qualities of a Christian that is lacking so very much in an unregenerated person is HOPE.The scriptures say that"Hope Deffered makes the heart sick." The lost who do not have the Lord are really sick at heart because they have no hope.Nothing to live for other than this superficial fleeting life on earth.This is why they suffer sickness,stress,pain,abuse,on such a large scale. We see all the time rich and famous people who commit suicide.This is because they have no hope. Nothing to look forward to.No real future.
Christians on the other hand have a "lively hope," because we are saved by hope, for we hope for that which we see not, and with patience wait for the fullfillment of that hope.Our eternal destiny at the end of this life! Those under the law are judged by the law and they have no hope. "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."(Rom.8:19)
The Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope,brought according to his abundant mercy, a lively hope, by his resurrection from the dead, an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. I Peter1:3-5
This is our hope as Christians! God keeps our salvation by his power through faith and trust in him and the end of that faith is our inheritance that will be revealed to us on that day!
I am supposed to be in quiet time before the Lord.Sitting at his feet,learning from him,recieving instruction in righteousness. "But, I am busy lord.The kids are fighting,the dishes are piled high, and the TV is blasting cartoons." Gently he speaks to my heart, "Child, heaven is busy. My children are playing,making lots of noise, I might add,and the angels' trumpets are blasting.Real noisy up here." "We are together aren't we Lord? " I cried. "Yes,we are together." the Lord smiled.
"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." I Cor.6:17
When confronted with the word of God on doctrinal matters, I find time and time again, that people will completely ignore it and continue to stubbornly adhere to their traditions. Why is that? Simply.....pride. Not wanting to admit the truth for fear of being made to look stupid! The true meaning of humility is to "have a reasonable estimation of one's self" So let's see.....am I always right? No! Do I know everything? No! Is God's word above my word or belief system? Yes! Any thoughts on the matter?
"A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." Proverbs 29:23
I will be leaving BC very shortly and as I go through my blogs, I will repost some of them for you to read. Sweethoney
As in the Days of Noah
Upon the horizon the dark clouds began to roll slowly into sight.They were intense with sinister energy,waiting to be released upon the earth.
Below little children played in the park and fathers and mothers watched peacefully on as the children laughed and froliced in the daylight. Little did they know that the storm was comming.Once in a while,however, a child would look up and question the darkness slowly moving across the sky, but when curiosity was satiated by the common sence of the earth,then the thought of dark clouds was pushed into the background.
Laughter filled the park,songs,and jubulation,for it was really a pleasant day after all.No one wanted to look way over towards the sinister clouds inching their way ever so slowly but surely towards the park.Who would want the pleasure of this moment to pass with thoughts of evil and deadly devises on such a beautiful day? No, we will play and enjoy ourselves for it has always been this way since the beginning.
The sounds of gaiety rang out from the park.The roses were in bloom and the sweet melody of robins resounded through the trees; still those dark clouds pushed forward.But no one really noticed.
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.Mathew 24:33-42
It is time to weep and lament for the shepherds who are tending the Lord's sheep. Weep for the pastors, the evangelists, the prophets and teachers - because God is about to send fearful judgments upon those who have become evil, sensuous and blind. The godly shepherds are themselves weeping between the porch and the altar over the condition of the church, but the corrupted ones who are self-centered will be dealt with by the Lord Himself.
Hear the awesome prophecy of Jeremiah: "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! Declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending my people. You have scattered my flock and have driven them away and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:1,2NAS)
Jeremiah's heart was broken because of the corruption he saw in those who were called to lead God's people. The blatant sin and self-centeredness among the ministers of his day so crushed him, he trembled like a man drunken with wine. He cried, "As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me - all my bones tremble - I have become like a drunken manovercome with wine for both prophet and priest are polluted; even in my house I have found their wickedness, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:9,11 NAS).
Then the prophet added these frightful words - "From the prophets of Jerusalem pollution has gone forth into all the land" (Jeremiah 23:15 NAS).
A frightening curse had fallen upon the land; there was adultery on every side; God's people had set themselves on a wicked course and they were spiritually dry and depressed. But their own shepherds had no pity on them. Their shepherds were blind to the judgment of almighty God that loomed just ahead. While enemy armies were approaching their very gates, the blind shepherds were preaching a soothing message of peace and prosperity. They convinced the people that the good times would never end.
Jeremiah knew why these self-centered shepherds, priests and prophets were not preaching against sin or warning the people. He knew why they were providing only superficial healing for God's people. It was because they themselves were bound by the same sins - they, too, were living a lie.
Listen to Jeremiah's indictment against them: "Among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing; the committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; and they strengthen the hands of evildoers - so that no one has turned back from his wickednessAll of them have become to me like Sodomlike Gomorrah" (Jeremiah 23:14 NAS).
The storm of the Lord had already gone forth, and God had warned His people through holy prophets that His anger would not be turned aside and that judgment was inevitable. But Jeremiah could hardly believe what they were preaching. These shepherds stood before a people who were walking in stubbornness, indulging in fornication and adultery, living under a curse, and soon to fall under devastating judgment - and they lied to God's people, preaching a message of false security. "They keep saying to those who despise me, The Lord has said, You will have peace - and as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, Calamity will not come upon you" (Jeremiah 23:17 NAS).
If they had been men of prayer, holy and separated unto God - having sought Him with all their hearts - they would have heard the distant thunder, they would have discerned that judgment was already determined, they would have been aroused and consumed with a desire to awaken God's people. God said, "I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then they would have announced my words to my people and would have turned them back from their evil way - and from the evil of their deeds" (Jeremiah 23:21,22 NAS).
Jeremiah thundered "Don't listen to them they are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination - not from the mouth of the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:16 NAS). He added, "They borrow their messages from one another." Also, "The prophets are as wind, and the Word is not in them" (Jeremiah 5:13 NAS).
These backslidden shepherds were so wrapped up in their own dreams, they substituted the deception of their own hearts for the fires and unction of the true Word. There are many such dreamers and schemers in our pulpits today - men of the cloth who go about saying, "I have a dream." God said, "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in my name saying, I had a dream, I had a dream The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has my word speak my word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain? Declares the Lord. Is not my word like fireand like a hammer which shatters a rock?" (Jeremiah 23:25-29 NAS).
There was no question in Jeremiah's mind as to why God's people had fallen into such a backslidden state. The Word of the Lord came to him saying, "My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray They have made them turn aside" (Jeremiah 50:6 NAS).
God's people were in a stupor, lost, wandering about with no direction. They did not even know how far they had strayed from the old paths. They had "forgotten their resting place" (Jeremiah 50:6 NAS). Jeremiah said, "All who come upon them have devoured them" (Jeremiah 50 NAS). This refers to the demonic powers of Satan. What a picture of present-day conditions in God's house. Multitudes of sheep are backsliding - they are lost and don't even know it. The powers of hell assail them, plundering their lives, messing up their children, bringing confusion and discord to their home and marriage. The old-fashioned altar calls where people wept with repentance are not even known by them. They have not heard the fiery messages from broken-hearted shepherds. They are not even acquainted with the old paths.
The self-centered shepherds are blamed by God for the apostasy among Christians. "Their shepherds have led them astraythey have made them turn aside" It is absolutely impossible to sidestep this blistering accusation because it is God Himself speaking.
Isaiah saw a horrible sight among God's people - demonic powers marauding the flock, wreaking havoc. There were no walls, no concerned shepherds, no one to say, "Enough!" Satan was having his own way. "All you beasts of the field, all you beasts of the forest, come to eat" (Isaiah 56:9 NAS). The prophet was simply describing a terrible situation among God's people. Throughout Scripture, the beasts refer to satanic powers. The devourer was unchallenged going about seeking to destroy. Why? Because the shepherds had become blind! The watchmen were dreaming and chasing after their own greedy plans. Isaiah said, "His watchmen are blind, all of them know nothing. All of them are dumb dogs unable to bark, dreamers lying down, who love to slumber; and the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have turned to their own way, each one to his unjust gain, to the last one" (Isaiah 56:10,11 NAS).
Isaiah was grieved because the Lord's people were being plundered and taken prisoner by the power of the enemy. "this is a people plundered and despoiled. All of them trapped in caves or are hidden away in prisons; they have become a prey with none to deliver them, and a spoil with none to say, Give them back" (Isaiah 42:22 NAS).
Where were the shepherds? Where were the servants of God when all this plundering was taking place? They were of no help whatsoever - stumbling about blind, deaf, insensitive. "Who is blind but my servant, or so deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with me or so blind as the servant of the Lord?" (Isaiah 42:19 NAS)
Jeremiah added, "These false dreamers reckless boasters do not furnish this people the slightest benefit" (Jeremiah 23:32 NAS).
Ezekiel confirmed the awful truth that greedy, self-serving shepherds were the cause of the confusion and helplessness among God's people. He said, "they were scattered for lack of a shepherd and they became food for every beast of the field. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hillthere was no one to search or seek for them. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my flock has become a prey, my flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my flock" (Ezekiel 34:5-8 NAS).
So it is today! There is a lack of true and holy shepherds to lead God's people into holiness. The cry of the hungry is, "Where can I find a godly shepherd to feed my soul?" Those who do have a godly shepherd ought to be very thankful.
God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. What a stinging message he delivered to God's servants "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock" (Ezekiel 34:2,3 NAS).
Zechariah said the very same thing. Not only were the shepherds blind, occupied with their own dreams they weren't even there when needed. He declared, "the people wander like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd" (Zechariah 10:2 NAS).
This same prophet deplored the way the shepherds were making merchandise of God's people - becoming fat and prosperous by fleecing the sheep. "Thus says the Lord my God, Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter. Those who buy them slay them and go unpunished, and each of those who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich! And their own shepherds have no pity on them" (Zechariah 11:4,5 NAS).
A Day Of Judgment Is Coming Upon The False Shepherds!
The prophets have predicted a day of sudden judgment upon the shepherds and ministries which have deceived God's people. There comes a time when God can no longer put up with the greed, the self-centeredness, the preaching of false peace, the arrogance of ministries which encourage the stubborn, carnal Christians in their stiff-necked ways. God breaks forth suddenly and He stirs up a great storm. "a great storm is being stirred up" said Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 25:32 NAS).
According to the prophets, quick and fierce judgments will fall upon ministries and upon their works - and a wailing and a crying will be heard when it all starts crumbling. "Wail, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes, you leaders of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and your dispersions have come, and you shall fall like a choice vessel. Hear the sound of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the leaders of the flock! For the Lord is destroying their pasture" (Jeremiah 25:34-36 NAS).
We have come to this same flash-point of divine judgment upon shepherds and ministries once again. It will not be the devil shutting down shallow, deceptive ministries - it will be God! God will shut off their supply of money; debts will mount up, trouble will beak out on all sides. From within and without there will be turmoil, persecution, terror and fear - all allowed by God to bring an end to those ministries and shepherds who cater to the flesh. God has had enough of carnival Christianity, show business gospel, and cheap, degrading money raising - all in the name of Jesus. God said, "You shall fall like a choice vessel" This speaks of the expensive, costly, prized ministries - recognized as choice vessels - but headed for a fall.
Zechariah also prophesied of God's wrath against merchandising shepherds. God warned through him, "My anger is kindled against the shepherds" (Zechariah 10:3 NAS).
God has made it very clear that He will eventually take away the pulpits from shepherds and ministries who feed themselves while deceiving the sheep. "Thus says the Lord God, Behold I am against the shepherds and I will demand my sheep from them and make them cease from feeding my sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver my flock from their mouth that they may not be food for them" (Ezekiel 34:10 NAS).
God, by His holy prophets, declared a year of punishment upon the wicked shepherds. Jeremiah spoke of this appointed time of judgment - "For both prophet and priest are polluted; even in my house I have found their wickedness, declares the Lord. Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, they will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it: for I shall bring calamity upon them. The year of their punishment, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:11,12 NAS).
Get ready! Christians will soon be bombarded, more than ever before, with very desperate and sad appeals for money from ministries about to fall. What dreadful appeals - what guilt and pressure will be forthcoming from all sides. It is the death rattle of dying ministries falling under divine judgment.
There is a desperate need for holy, God-fearing shepherds - because the people of the Lord are bent on back-sliding. Without anointed shepherds to awaken and arouse them, they will continually revert to the world and wickedness.
It may cut us deeply, but the truth is: God's people have leaned toward the world and its idolatry from the very beginning. The Israel of Christ is just as stiffnecked as the Israel of Moses. God called Israel out of Egypt to be His own possession. He wanted a separated people who would love and serve Him out of a yielded heart. He said, "I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myselfto be my possession among all the peoplesAnd you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:4-6 NAS).
Moses knew the tendency of their hearts. He said to them, "You are a stubborn, stiffnecked peoplefrom the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you" (Deuteronomy 9:6,7,24 NAS).
Moses added, "For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still with you today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death?" (Deuteronomy 32:27 NAS). Also, "For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 31:29 NAS).
The people had for their shepherd the humblest, most dedicated man on the earth at that time. He spoke as the oracle of God and he walked in His glory. But even then Moses had to warn them, cajole them, judge and provoke them to go on with God. Even under such holy, godly teaching - they held on to their secret lust and idolatry. And Moses knew something about the nature of God's people - He knew that once the fear of God was lost, once the thundering against their sins ceased - they would backslide wholesale and return to their old stubborn ways. And it happened just as Moses prophesied.
Hear what God says about the nature of His children. "Why then is this people slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return" (Jeremiah 8:5 KJV). "My people are bent to backsliding from me" (Hosea 11 KJV). "I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, I will not listen! This has been your practice from your youth, that you have not obeyed my voice" (Jeremiah 22:21 NAS).
Is this perpetual backsliding only an Old Testament phenomenon? Hardly! At the end of the church age, you find Christ pronouncing judgment on the Laodicean chuch - backslidden, blind and corrupt - without knowing it. A boastful, stubborn people who pride themselves in having so much - but who in reality make the Lord nauseous.
Paul warned the New Testament church that merchandisers would come in among them, teachers whose god would be their belly - who would teach and preach for ungodly gain.
Those who refuse to forsake their idols and will not put aside their stumbling blocks will be led into deception by polluted ministers who will give them what they want.
Some elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. God told the prophet, "These men have set up idols in their hearts, and have put right before their eyes the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?" (Ezekiel 14:3 NAS).
God said, in essence, "I will answer idolatrous, corrupt living with idolatrous, corrupt messages. They are so set on their idols, so addicted, so bound to their hidden sin, so determined to follow me while indulging their flesh, I will give them teachers to scratch their itching ears. I will send among them shepherds who will use and abuse them they will minister to the idolatry in their hearts confirming them in it." "Every man who setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth a stumbling block of iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh according tohis idols If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people The punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him" (Ezekiel 14:4-10 KJV)
We have the music of devils in God's house because the youth demanded it - the parents no longer cared - the pastors simply gave in and let the kids have what they wanted. A rich, over-fed church became addicted to luxury and now wallows in the idolatry of materialism - so God answers that idolatry with silver-tongued teachers who give them a theology to justify it.
While God is judging self-centered shepherds, He is at the same time raising up shepherds after His own heart. These same prophets who foretold the bringing down of greedy, corrupt shepherds and ministries also prophesied of the raising up of holy shepherds and godly pastors who will feed the flock in righteousness. God is going to have for Himself ministers who come forth out of Zion - God's holy hill. "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:14,15 KJV)
It begins with the people in the congregation - one here, two there - a hungry, awakened remnant whom He is calling out. God said, "And I will give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with their whole heart" (Jeremiah 24 NAS).
When the people of God rid their lives and homes of all the idols, and when the Holy Spirit stirs them to holiness and purity - when their hearts become desperately hungry for truth and reality - God will give them a new heart. They will no longer be satisfied to sit under shepherds who are light and foolish. They will quickly discern which shepherds are true and false. They will be led into the sheepfold of a true shepherd who will feed their hungry souls. They will be reproved and love it -because it will produce in them a hatred for sin. Jeremiah prophesied, "In those days and at that time, declares the Lord, the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek. They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten" (Jeremiah 50:4,5 NAS).
God said, "I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:4 NAS).
God has promised to raise up in the last days shepherds with the heart and characteristics of David. "Therefore, I will deliver my flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will feed them; and he will feed them himself and be their shepherd" (Ezekiel 34:22,23 NAS).
This speaks of Christ, the one great Shepherd of all the chosen - but also of those shepherds whose hearts are like David's - repentant, God-fearing and jealous for His holiness.
What glorious promises God has given to us about being fed and shepherded in these last days. "I will feed my flock and I will lead them to restI will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick" (Ezekiel 34:15,16 NAS).
"Like a shepherd he will tend his flock, in his arms he will gather the lambs, and carry them in his bosom; he will gently lead the nursing ewes" (Isaiah 40:11 NAS).
"For the lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17 NAS).
Let no disgruntled, rebellious preacher-hater or despiser draw comfort from this message. What I have presented is the message of the prophets, but with deep and genuine love and compassion for all hurting, troubled ministers. It is with love this strong word is delivered, having been first pierced by it in my own heart. God will not permit grumbling, dissatisfied Christians to touch His anointed - especially while such are in the refining fires.
God is so patient, so tender toward all His servants. The truth is, the shepherds who are truly anointed and touched by the glory and fire of God have come through much testing. Many were at one time misled, selfish, competitive, striving to be accepted or respected, driven by the hunger for success, caught up in earthly dreams. But God saw something in them that He loved - a repentant, hungry heart, a yearning for the deeper things of God. And those who were patient with them, those who prayed for them, loving them enough to wait until God had time to bring them back to Himself - they have, in turn, been so blessed because now they are being truly led by a shepherd who has come through the fires. They now have a man of God under whom they are growing in Christ; and they are now a part of the body that is wholly connected to the Head.
Weep for your shepherds! Weep in love, in sorrow, yet in hope! God has His true shepherds today, though few in number and mostly unknown, who will not compromise and who will care enough about the flock to expose their sins and call them to repentance. Pray for your pastor - he is being tested as never before. Pray for all the evangelists and all ministries. You need not follow shepherds who have lost their anointing - but don't touch them. This is a matter God is going to deal with personally.
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
"America, America, awake out of your slumber; I will shake you, I will shake you with a shake that has never shaken you before.
You flaunted yourselves above the world; you flaunted yourselves above your neighbor and your neighbors: brother against brother, kingdom against kingdom, people against people, Christian against Christian in your ungodly attempt to self-glorify yourselves. Both in the church and throughout America your leaders religiously, politically and economically are vain, corrupt and amoral. You are fast losing the salt, the purity that has held you together; that has made you great, if not the greatest of all nations.
But, I will bring you down; like the wind brings down the tree, so I will bring you down.
You will not escape my wrath; for it is an expression of my love, my deep love that will do all it can to get your attention before my eternal wrath, to remove all those who do not and will not love thy neighbor, will fall.
Some say, many say, 'Oh, we will escape. It will not happen to us; for we are your elect; we are God's chosen.' But, I say, you have blinded yourselves with your own vanity. My elect are not the people, the church in America; but my elect are the people of the world that are called by my name and do my will on earth as it is done in heaven. Not people with a false tongue of divination of thy heart, but of my will.
For you are a thankless, godless, an immoral generation that has been raised by the philosophies of the heathen and I will challenge your philosophies till you hate me and my people. My people will not escape your wrath -- the wrath of the world as some falsely teach; for only the world's wrath will open their eyes clearly to what I am saying so they are prepared to meet me.
I am coming quickly for a people, a church without spot or wrinkle; a blood washed, blood soaked people who are really called Christian; not the hypocritical, self-righteous, self-taught, self-educated fool who propitiates his own dogma today.
I will tear down the haughty; the mighty religious leader in my kingdom, in my church who has deceived my people with your ever babbling rhetoric that has filled the pulpits across America. Instead of my church being one, you have become institutionalized where my true servants are not even welcomed because you're protecting your own man-made philosophies and your own selfish interests. You think the people are yours, but I tell you they are mine and your man-made denominational institutions will fail; for I am shaking and calling the very elect to follow me, not you. Awake, awake, oh Jerusalem; for the King of Glory is about to appear and only the true elect, the glorified elect, will live in that New Jerusalem that I am preparing.
America, your religious leaders are vain and corrupt; your church leaders are vain and corrupt; your political leaders are vain and corrupt; your relatives are vain and corrupt; your neighbors are vain and corrupt. A generation of heathen, those that appear to many as the elect -- my chosen, yet, I have not accepted them because I can see their heart. They are imitations of the genuine; a pearl in the rough.
But don't give up; for I will wash you and prepare you through the fire of my love, not the world's wrath, but my love. As a father chastens his children, so I will chasten you and tear down your sand castles, your delusions of grandeur, until you can see the kingdom again."
On December 24, 1995 at 0541hrs., Rev. Jonathan Hansen received this prophecy primarily for the people who call themselves "born again." The Lord is saying that he will exhort the American people to look to him. He will cause an incident to happen in America so great so as to get their attention. This could possibly be through the weather, food, disease, economy (although it would have to be a much greater degree than we have yet experienced), etc., or nuclear war at a national level.
God is saying that the people of America are guilty of intense pride, intense self-exaltation and self-satisfaction. In all areas of life in America, including the Church, most of the people are filled with pleasing themselves. The leaders in America, even in the Church for the most part, are filled with self-glorification and self-attainment. Many of their leaders not only have a gluttonous appetite for glory and "the things of the world," but some are guilty of immorality and amorality. Many church leaders do not know right from wrong any longer. Many are guilty of lying, cheating, fornication and adultery. Because so many of the pastors have become amoral and are no longer either capable or bold enough to counsel truth, the American people are turned over to the philosophies of evil men and satanic spirits. The psychic, the philosopher, the professor, and even eastern religions take the place of the truth of Jesus Christ that should be taught fundamentally, doctrinally sound and without error. But the message is not popular with people of America, nor with many deceived pastors within the Church. So, the people of America turn to the lies of the cult and occult because a true servant of the Lord is not popular even within his own denomination. They dance to the fiddle of the majority who are intrigued by the psychics' predictions, but are deaf to the words and warnings of a true prophet. Thus, the people of America and members of the church are conned by false doctrine. They are inept to scripturally and spiritually deal with the deceptions, lies, lusts, lifestyles, values, behaviors, sins and spirits that are in our society and church.
God is saying that he will bring down (humble, shame) the American people, including many church leaders. Many people in America and members of churches feel immune from the catastrophes that have struck other countries such as war, famine, disease, persecution, etc. But, God is warning that the people, both in society and the Church, will not escape his dealings with them. There are hard times ahead for both the Church and people of America. Great trouble, plagues and persecution lie ahead. This is needed out of God's deep eternal love to give every opportunity for people to repent and prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord.
When there is a lack of righteousness and holiness in peoples' lives, they compromise. They are afraid to speak the truth to others. They lie and give excuses for their unfaithfulness by saying they do not want to hurt people's feelings. You can say it another way, but the truth is, their own relationship with God is lacking. In reality, they do not have the spiritual strength to obey the spirit; nor are they led by the Spirit, but by their own understanding, mentality and flesh. They find it difficult to give godly counsel because, according to his Word, they do not have an intimate relationship with the Author of Truth. Thus, they do not know what the truth is, or if they do, they do not have the spirit (strength) to do or say what he asks of them.
The majority of the Church in America lacks holiness and righteousness. God must and will prepare them for his return. For he will not allow his New Jerusalem to be polluted, corrupt, diseased, poverty stricken, ruled by the vain, immoral or amoral, again. Before his final judgment when people are sentenced to eternal separation or eternal life with him in the New Jerusalem, Jesus will give more opportunity for a change of heart. The American " Christian" will be chastened by the Lord and tried by the fire. God will force events to deal with their spiritually weak condition until the American Christian (true believer) will look to the Lord for their strength and call upon the Lord earnestly, not out of some mythical explanation or prayer. Through the changing events and new laws in society, the American believer will be forced of God to take his stand on spiritual and moral truths until they are hated and persecuted by society. The American Christian will not escape having to take his stand and position in the Lord!
Wrong doctrine taught by denominations and pastors will be exposed by time itself, by the Holy Spirit, by the Scriptures, which will finally be studied studiously by the elect instead of just accepted from the pulpit. Many large churches, denominations, church leaders and pastors will fall. They will be rejected both by society and by the believer, for their vain lifestyle and teaching of God's Word. Eventually all godly organized churches and ministries will be shut down as persecution of the true believer takes its full course. As believers have suffered in many countries throughout the world for their faith, so many will now suffer in America.
The Lord Jesus is warning the American Christians that he is preparing to return to earth. Before he returns, he will give more opportunities for both the unbeliever and believer to prepare for his coming. Great trouble will fall on America along with a major Crisis that will change the American lifestyle. He warns that the born again believer will also be challenged by the Lord through the change of events in American lifestyle, calamities and persecution. But through it all the true Church will become holy without spot or wrinkle and learn to trust in Jesus. Amen and amen! [/I]
"For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate.... Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed" (Ezekiel 33:28-29).
This is a warning from the mouth of almighty God -- and its fulfillment is found throughout the Bible. God has made it perfectly clear: "If any nation corrupts itself and becomes hopelessly wicked, I will desolate that nation until they know I am God!"
The meaning of the word "desolate" is awesome indeed. To desolate means to desert -- to render unfit for habitation, to strip of friends and hope, to forsake, abandon, ruin and devastate. And that is exactly what God [has] begun to do to America!
Most people are tired of hearing about the decline of this country. The President has angrily denounced any more "gloom and doom" talk. And many Christians are saying, "I can't take any more depressing preaching. I need encouragement when I go to church.
Yet this is the very type of attitude God's word warns against. All through the Old Testament, God's people closed their ears to prophetic warnings on the eve of destruction. As the hour of judgment approached, they hardened their hearts against all warnings -- and suddenly the desolation fell! Most Americans recognize something ominous is happening, something awesome and supernatural -- and that it is beyond any man's power to stop. A voice deep within the American soul is crying out, "We are no longer number one -- and we're going downhill fast. The American Dream has evaporated, and we face a dangerous future!"
I'm not going to list all the signs of decay and desolation already at work in America. We see them all around us daily. In fact, we've seen so much we have become immune to it all.
But I want to take you into God's Word, and show you how, beyond a shadow of a doubt, God ruins and desolates societies who have sinned against Him and rejected Him! And as you see what God did to nations that were less sinful than America, you will realize God cannot possibly hold back our desolation!
You may say, "That's the Old Testament. It lacks the grace of the New Covenant. It's not relevant to our day."
But nothing could be further from the truth! The Apostle Paul wrote, "Now all these things happened unto them for [examples]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). Paul was speaking in this very passage about the desolation of Israel!
Peter said God desolated Sodom and Gomorrah as an example to all ungodly societies that would come thereafter:
"And [God] turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an [example] unto those that after should live ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6).
Jude gives the same warning: "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh [incest, homosexuality, lesbianism], are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7).
In Paul, Peter and Jude, God gives us three witnesses who confirm that His desolation of the nations in the Old Testament were meant to instruct and warn us who live in the end time. As God looked upon Sodom and Gomorrah, He said to the heavenly hosts: "I am going to desolate and destroy Sodom -- this society whose sin has reached into heaven -- so that every succeeding generation will have clear evidence of when to expect judgment! They will have an illustrated warning of what I'll do and when I'll do it -- whenever a generation shuts me out and flaunts its sin!"
Let's consider some of the desolations "sent forth as examples":
1. Leviticus 26. This warning clearly outlines how God would desolate those who reject Him and become wicked:
"But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments... but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption [tuberculosis], and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
"And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: and your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits" (Leviticus 26:14-20, 31-33).
Doesn't this sound like what is happening in wicked America? God is saying, "You refuse to obey Me and are hostile toward Me -- so I will break down your pride! I will strip the nation and make it vulnerable. Your enemies will take over your resources. I will desert you, and your cities and land will become desolate. You'll be lonely, solitary, fearful and wretched!"
2. Isaiah 1. Listen to this warning:
"Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger... Why should ye be stricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint...
"Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers" (Isaiah 1:4-7).
How close does America come to Isaiah's description of a society desolated by God? "A sinful nation... laden with iniquity... corrupt children... forsaking the Lord... provoking His anger... the land devoured right before the eyes... a nation being overthrown from its high standing."
Isaiah clearly was talking about the desolation of Israel because of that nation's sins. But this prophecy also describes America to the letter!
Japan, Korea and European nations are all devouring our landmarks, swallowing up our properties and businesses. The Japanese sit by and mock our workers and industries, knowing we are helpless to react.
Yet God really wanted something else for America -- and for a time we had it. Here is God's promise to any nation that hears His voice and obeys Him:
"The Lord shall command [His] blessing upon thee... He shall bless thee in the land... The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods... The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure... and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above [all]" (Deuteronomy 28:8, 11-1.
Up to ten years ago, America was the world's banker, lending to other countries. But in the last five years, we have become the world's number-one debtor nation. We have become slaves to our lenders!
America once had all the blessings God promised -- because at one time God was truly honored here. Presidents and Congresses once acknowledged God. As recently as thirty years ago, legislators prayed during their sessions, and their colleagues were seen weeping. But no more! Now we have driven God out of our government and schools.
Look at what Moses said would happen when God is rejected -- and see if this has not come to pass in America:
"If you will not obey Him, confusion and rebuke will fall upon all you set your hand to do. Sickness will cleave to you. The Lord will smite you with consumption. Your nation will become panic-stricken. Another nation will eat up your wealth, and your children will bring you grief. "The stranger living in your midst will be lifted up, and you shall be brought very low. He shall lend to you; he will be the head and you will become the tail. Tremendous, unheard-of plagues and diseases will come upon you. And the Lord who wanted to rejoice in blessing you instead will turn on you. He will rejoice in desolating your land and bringing you to nothing!" (see Deuteronomy 28:15-6.
In the past two years we have seen God do an unprecedented thing: He has totally desolated the Soviet Union! The most feared, godless country in the world has fallen into total disintegration. And Isaiah had foretold what God would do to such nations as an example:
"Therefore hear now this... thou that dwellest carelessly, that say in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me... Thou has trusted in thine wickedness... Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know" (Isaiah 47:8-11).
I ask you -- didn't the downfall of the Soviet Union come suddenly? Isn't it true that no one could explain how it happened; that no one could stop the sudden collapse?
GOD BROUGHT DOWN THE SOVIET UNION AS A MODERN-DAY, FINAL EXAMPLE TO GET THE WORLD'S ATTENTION -- ESPECIALLY AMERICA'S! He was saying to us:
"You do not heed or consider the examples of history; they have made no impact on you. So I am going to take the world's most godless and powerful nation -- a country that said there is no God, that brought fear to the whole earth -- and I will desolate and ruin it before your eyes!"
Americans now sit incredulous, seeing on their televisions and in their newspapers pictures of hungry Soviets lined up for bread. The New York Times recently ran a picture of Russian women making bread, telling how it is "measured out" to stores. Beloved, that is taken word for word from Leviticus 26:26! "And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied."
God is saying to America and the world, "I'm giving you one last warning! Take a look at what I've done to Russia in two years. Their leaders are confused, incompetent. I have emptied the stores. And I did this overnight to a nation that rejected me. Repent, or I will do the same to you! Come back to Me and humble yourself -- or I will desolate your land!"
Bread lines in America? fifty percent unemployment? A government in chaos? Anarchy and fear on all sides -- in America? Yes! Just read the headlines and you'll see it is happening right now!
God has sworn to desolate any nation that will not heed His warnings: If ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation" (Jeremiah 22:5).
There is overwhelming biblical proof that any national decline -- whether social, religious, or economic -- points to God at work, judging sin and hatred toward Him:
"And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord god of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see" (2 Chronicles 30). Why did God give them up? Because of their sin!
"Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins" (Micah 6:13).
"The great day of the Lord is near... a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess... And I will bring distress upon men... because they have sinned against the Lord" (Zephaniah 1:14-17).
Scripture makes it clear why God topples nations and societies: He does it because of their sin!
In desolating our economy and institutions, God seeks to accomplish one thing: One way or another, He is going to be recognized as Lord and God -- through either repentance or desolation! America may not repent -- this country may still try to push God out of our society -- but all will know He is Lord!
"Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate, because of all their abominations which they have committed." (Ezekiel 33:28-29)
"I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 20:26).
God is saying to us: "I blessed you for years, so that My goodness would lead you to repentance. Yet still you wouldn't honor Me. Proud America has driven Me out -- she does not recognize My Lordship. But she will!"
"I will remove her from her lofty place and lay her in the dust. A dark, ominous day is coming when ACT-UP homosexuals, atheists, New Agers, the Supreme Court, abortionists, those who have mocked Me -- all will know I am God!"
Beloved, I am not saying all these will acknowledge God -- but they will know He is behind everything that is happening to bring our country down!
You see, desolation is coming because America has said, "We do not need God!" But God is going to show us differently, as He did the Soviet Union -- and we're going to know He is Lord!
God came against Sodom like an angry lion. There was no warning -- no Noah preaching for 120 years, no Jonah crying, "Repent!" The angels came one night -- and destruction came suddenly the next morning!
Now, like a lion pouncing angrily on his prey, God has struck the Soviet Union without warning. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear?" (Amos 3:
"Therefore I will be unto them as a lion... I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee?" (Hosea 13,10).
Yet God is showing mercy to America; He isn't pouncing suddenly like a lion. Instead He is desolating us as a moth:
"Because he willingly walked after [away from] the commandment... Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rotteness" (Hosea 5:11-12). In other words, God has sent a slow rot!
"When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth" (Psalm 39:11). Like a moth, the Lord consumes everything that is precious to a man. And America is now under an invasion of God's destroying moths! They are eating away all our revered institutions: the family, our school system, our economic base, our judicial system. A slow rot is consuming us -- and the fabric of our nation has become moth-eaten!
Noah's society didn't have a deep recession as a warning. They didn't have a stock-market plunge of 500 points to get their attention. But if that generation had seen all their businesses crumbling and AIDS destroying thousands of lives, perhaps they would have said, "Could Noah be right? Are all these signs of a coming desolation?"
America may see a temporary come-back in its economy. But that will not kill the moth! You can see hole after hole it has eaten. It doesn't matter if the stock market jumps to 5,000 points, or if our industries and growth all bounce back. Because the moth is still there -- wreaking havoc and destruction!
The AIDS moth will still be devouring lives. The education moth will keep eating a destructive path through our schools. The homosexuality moth will grow in power, eating away our moral fabric. The financial moth will keep our banking system and manufacturing base crumbling. The moth of sin will cause evil men to wax worse and worse. And the crumbling will continue behind a facade of prosperity that hides it all!
Beloved, the worst judgment God could pour out on America right now is another wave of prosperity! It would be like closing the lid on our coffin. People would say, "We got out of that one -- we can get out of anything! We didn't need God. We sent Him away, and still we prospered. Where is the judgment of God?"
We will become like the people of Noah's day, who would not repent because prosperity continued right up to the end: "And [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away" (Matthew 24:39).
Ezekiel 33 shows us what is just ahead for America:
God's Watchmen Will Soon Cry Out Their Final Warnings!
God is about to silence His watchmen! They will no longer cry out warnings. Instead, they will merely stand and weep like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. You see, there will be no need to prophesy anymore -- because the enemy will already be at the gate!
The word God's watchmen have preached will already be fulfilled -- and the blood of the people will no longer be on their hands:
"Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning... But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul" (Ezekiel 33:4-5).
God gives His people warnings to deliver them! Yet already, in the last two years, I have seen a dramatic silencing of the watchmen. At one time there was book after book, cry after prophetic cry. But now so little is being said -- because God finally has decided, "There is nothing left to say!"
When the moth-eaten fabric of our society finally begins to tear, then we will know the desolation is upon us. And it will not end until God is finished with us! No one will be able to say, "We didn't know -- why didn't you warn us?" Because Scripture says their blood will be on their own head!
When God desolates a nation, He seeks out the wicked in hiding: the hoarders, the walled-in, the well-prepared -- all those seeking to outlast the judgment. No amount of wealth will see them through the collapse that is inevitable. Because the Lord says He will find them -- and they shall not escape! "Surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence" (Ezekiel 33:27).
Multitudes of Americans are now saying, "I just want to have enough to make it through." I know of one economist who sold everything -- and built a hide-away in the hills of Mexico to ride out the coming storm!
But God sends a clear word to those who would try to escape: "There is no safe hiding place! Go to your hideaways -- the germs and pestilence will find you there!"
"Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them" (Amos 9:2-3)
If you truly want to know how it all ends when God desolates a nation -- which is where America is headed without total, corporate national repentance -- then study Lamentations. This prophetic book describes the conditions that exist when the desolation is at full blast. It explains the desolation of Jerusalem, Judah -- and America:
"She weeps now, sore in the night. Her enemies prosper. The Lord afflicts her for the multitude of her transgressions. She cannot believe her end has come -- her strength is gone. The Lord has become her enemy! Her laws have failed. Her enemies now hiss against her. Young men lie in her streets. It is only the Lord's mercies she is not consumed... "Fear has come upon her. Pitiful women fill their own children. Her children are meat for destruction; she has polluted herself with blood. Her streets are unsafe. She is utterly rejected by the Lord, but does not know her end is come" (see Lamentations 1-2).
Already you see signs of such calamity in America. A few weeks ago I stood and watched a hungry homeless man as he tore open garbage bags, scraping moldy food into a jar -- food only dogs would eat! God whispered to me, "David, the beggars are a sign, as I spoke to you. America is being warned. The day is coming when even the wealthiest will dig through garbage." Here is what the Spirit says to the righteous:
1. We need not fear when the desolations come:
"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation or the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:25-26).
Dear saint, this is your antidote for fear! The Bible says men's hearts will fail them as they see all the desolations falling. And indeed, there will be incredible fear all around. But beloved, learn this well: The same power of God that desolates the wicked preserves the righteous!
You will see the warnings of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 fulfilled to the letter before your eyes. Yet you will be able to say to your soul, "If God fulfills His promises of judgment so faithfully, how much more can I trust Him to be faithful in preserving His promises to me?"
With each new bad-news crisis, you can look up and rejoice: "The power behind these desolations is my God at work! He is keeping His Word to the whole world -- and He will keep it to me!"
2. Christ alone will be the only secure hiding place!
Jesus Himself is going to gather up His body of believers, embrace them and pull them into His own habitation, saying, "I'm going to hide you while the storm is brewing!"
"And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest" (Isaiah 32:2). Christ the Lord is the only hiding place! You don't need anything else -- no nest egg, no underground shelter -- because in Jesus you are as safe as you're going to get!
"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32).
"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5).
There is no need to fear, no need to be distressed. Because when total desolation falls, your God will hide you in Himself! Hallelujah!
NAS). This refers to the demonic powers of Satan. What a picture of present-day conditions in God's house. Multitudes of sheep are backsliding - they are lost and don't even know it. The powers of hell assail them, plundering their lives, messing up their children, bringing confusion and discord to their home and marriage. The old-fashioned altar calls where people wept with repentance are not even known by them. They have not heard the fiery messages from broken-hearted shepherds. They are not even acquainted with the old paths. 
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