30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 29 Judgement

God knows how the story goes - for all the universe but even for your individual life.  He knows every word you have ever spoken, every thought you've ever had, every dream you've ever dreamed, the number of cells in your body.  He is the beginning and the end, your life when viewed under the microscope will have not secrets - things you have forgotten will be revealed.  Without the covering of Jesus blood, you will be utterly exposed and judged.

The Great White Throne Judgement

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." Revelation 20:12

This is the Great White Throne Judgement and all who have died without Christ are judged a final time before being thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire.  There will be no innocent people there, everyone will have made their choice.  You are making that choice right now, you have been making that choice through the whole 30 Day Jesus Challenge.  If you choose yourself instead of Jesus, YOU send YOURSELF to Hell.  When the tapes of your life are played across the screen for all to see, this Challenge will be before your eyes, every time someone witnessed to you, every radio program that you skipped by, every time the Lord reached out to you and you rejected Him will be reviewed, there will be no excuse and no escape.

Pray - Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner who can not make myself clean, I accept your sacrifice on the cross.  Please come into my life, save me, cleanse me of my sins, and give me eternal life with you Lord.

30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 10 Not Good Enough

In today's culture, where everyone gets a trophy, where everyone is special, to say, "You are not good enough." is shocking, even hateful is some circles, but it is the truth.  In all faiths, except Christianity, the god asks for you to be good enough, like there is some cosmic scale in the afterlife where your good deeds are measured against your sins.  If you can just be good enough you will get to heaven.  This is not new and it is not enlightened.

Why do you think Muslims blow themselves up in the name of Allah?  Why do you think Mormons walk door to door?  Why do the Jehovah's Witnesses hand out tracks to strangers at a gas station?  Why do Hindus and Buddhist leave food offerings for deities?  Why do all other religions demand that their followers be good enough, do enough....  How do you ever know when it IS enough?   The short answer is, you don't.  Not until you die and then it's too late. Where is the peace in that?

Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

Pray - Jesus, I know that I am not good enough to save myself.

Blood Moon over New York City

Abigail and Dolley readers are quite familiar with the Blood Moons.  Throughout history, Blood Moons are perceived as an omen of pending judgement.  This picture was taken last evening by an photographer in New Jersey. (source)

A blood red moon behind the World Trade Center in Manhattan CREDIT:  CATERS / JENNIFER KHORDI

Students of Bible Prophecy have been looking to the sky since the Blood Moon Phenomenon began on Passover in 2014.  After intense activity, the sky has been eerily quiet....

American Pie - An American Prophecy

My college car did not have Air Conditioning, which is fine for the temperate North Carolina mountains but makes for an uncomfortable afternoon commute in Charlotte.  One August day in 1990, I was baking in the asphalt oven, traffic was gridlocked, and my nerves were frayed.  On a whim, I pulled into a restaurant.  Never one to eat by myself, I did not have a book or a cell phone to keep me occupied but the booth was cool and dinning room empty so I settled in patiently anticipating my burrito el grande.

1980 Honda Accord - Air Conditioning Optional

In the quiet, the opening strum of American Pie came over the speakers.  I smiled, as does anyone who grew up in a time when radio stations would actually play an 8:40 song.  My American Pie story is of being a 4 year old with a ruptured appendix being rushed to the hospital while singing the chorus.  I still remember laying down in the back seat and my Mother admonishing me to please pick another song.  I didn't understand why it upset her and it hurt less when I sang.

Anyway, back to the Mexican restaurant:  As I sat there I heard the song for the first time.  Notions of the Rapture and the End Times were a concept that I had the briefest acquaintance and then only because my Dad had begun his journey into eschatology.  I was finishing my burrito as Don was finishing his song and it struck me that this song was about America after the Rapture.  I was stunned.  I remember mentioning it to my Dad later and his warm brown eyes caught that look, the one he got when I would get on his level spiritually and feed him a nugget.  Oh Lord, I miss that look.

So in honor of Dad, who loved prophecy (and pie, by the way), and in honor of Mom who didn't wreck the car on the way to the ER all those years ago, and July 4th, 2015 let's break down American Pie from a Prophetic view point.

Days of Judgement - Did He Really Just Say That?

Abigail and Dolley readers do you ever listen to global and national leaders speak and wonder what reality they are living in?  We watch the news and furl our brow in disbelief, like a Superman Comic, we've fallen into "Bizarro World".  Nothing is as it seems and truth is a rare commodity.

Here are some examples: Attorney General Loretta Lynch told a group of Muslims in Washington last night that her 'greatest fear' since the Paris terror attack is retaliatory violence against members of the religion. Lynch said as a prosecutor, she worries that the anti-Muslim rhetoric 'will be accompanied by acts of violence,' and said, 'We cannot give in to the fear that these backlashes are really based on.' (source)

Boldfaced Lies

Barack Obama has declared 22 times that "Climate Change is a the biggest threat we face." (source)

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan declared, "Some of our best and biggest allies in this struggle and fight against radical Islamic terror are Muslims, the vast vast vast majority of whom are peaceful, who believe in pluralism and freedom, democracy and individual rights.” (source)  Ryan obviously has fallen under major delusions about Islam and its ultimate goals.

These are statements from the last seven days... these people have all fallen under a judgement clearly defined in Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

The judgement upon them is pronounced:   2 Thessalonians 9-12 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Brainwashed and Confused

We live in a wicked time where darkness has descended upon the earth, an evil whose time was foretold since ancient times.  This is no surprise to those waiting and watching but must be quite confusing to those without a biblical understanding and worldview.  It is time for choosing, the hour grows late, soon you will not even know you are being lied to.

Days of Judgement - The Idol of Education

Recently, the Lord has been showing me the various ways that His Judgement is upon this nation and the world.

Exodus 20:4-5 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,"

We have made education an idol.  By proclaiming education is the answer to all social ills:  poverty, racism, crime, sexism, bigotry, we worship at the alter of education.  I start with education because I believe it was the Supreme Courts Ruling against prayer in schools that begun the Judgement we are seeing today.  The 1962 ruling is a watershed moment; for more on how this effected education, look at these shocking statistics.  What I find interesting is that we seemed to have stopped measuring the effects.  A quick Google search turns up several sites but most of them stop with figures from the early 1990's.  Perhaps it's too depressing to contemplate, even for statisticians.

"Visiting iniquity upon the  children to the third and fourth generations to those who hate Me."  Approximately 4 generations of children have gone through public schools K-12 since the ruling.  Dr. Wendy Bradshaw's resignation letter to the Polk Country School Board has reverberated with parents, students, and teachers across the country, the picture it paints is stark and startling.  There is a hopelessness and frustration in the letter that captures what so many Americans feel today on an entire host of issues.

Universities have become corrupt cesspools of liberal fascism and ignorance.  College students will sign petitions to ban water, kill babies up to five year old, and repeal the bill of rights.  Tuition bankrupts students intellectually and monetarily while giving them little of what it takes to become a functioning and contributing member of society.  Students are concerned with idiotic issues like gender specific pronouns being acts of micro-aggression.  Professors have to give "Trigger Warnings" to the pampered students because these fragile souls might get their feelings hurt!  This new generation of kids... well, even this liberal professor is afraid of them.

From Common Core, to the skyrocketing cost of tuition and student debt, to zero tolerance policies that expose ridiculous loss of common sense.  In the end, the thing that we have loved so much has become ridiculous.  Sadly, even the church is not immune to this false worship.  The Lord's Judgement of the education system is clear to those with the eyes to see. 

Dreams of the Coming Judgement

Abigail and Dolley readers lately I've felt the Lord calling me to begin a new series on how He is judging this nation.  This morning I had a dream that I'd like to share with you as the first part of this new series.

The dream started at work, in a filthy run down office and warehouse.  I was new and it was my job to clean it up.  I wandered around and met with former co-workers, none of whom I was excited to work with again.  It was dark and disorganized and a spirit of defeat haunted the place.  (I believe this represents the culture of corporate America today.  What was once a place of hustle, bustle, and good work is now populated by people you don't want to work with in a run down inefficient environment.)

I started piling up trash in the hallway and a couple of great coworkers appeared like magic and began helping.  I was so excited to see them and had a little hope!  I wondered how we were going to get all the trash we were piling up out of the building.  My coworker said, "Oh, I've already called.  See here he is."  A young man drove up with a truck and began loading the trash to haul away.  This was a bright spot, coworkers pitching in, and there was a young strong guy doing the heavy lifting.  (Personally, I've just started a new job and this chapter represents the hope and the optimism I am feeling.)

I ask the young man to follow me, there was junk in the bathroom.  As we walked in together, there was trash everywhere.  As we worked, we were startled by a strange man's hand emerging from a pulled shower curtain, the nails were painted pink.  The young man with me said, "What are you doing here?  Go away, I've told you I don't want to be gay."  The man arose naked from the bathwater and displayed enormous genitalia; I stared in fascinated horror before turning away in disgust and rushing out the door.  (Obviously, this is a reference to the seduction of our bright, strong young men.)

I emerged with the toilet overflowing filth behind me into a gathering in my childhood kitchen.  Sitting around a table were beautiful women in their late 60's.  They were fashionable, well put together, trim and tan; Southern Ladies.  As I looked at them, I thought, we used to look like this.  Americans used to not be sloppy and fat.  I asked what they were doing and they told me they were trying out a new cream to eliminate flab and belly fat, I saw that they were already trim and wondered why they were so focused on their looks.  Their husbands were in attendance and were devoted and loving, I was upset with them for wasting money on a beauty treatments they did not need when there were needy people who could have been helped. (I think this represents the advantages the Baby Boomers had but squandered.)

Then out the window, I saw a monster sized wolf.  He climbed on the roof above where we stood and began diving at the roof like a fox after a mouse in the snow.  I knew it was safe in the house because my Father had built the roof.  (My childhood home represents an America that was safe, secure, and well built.  The enemy might try to get in but we were protected.)

But then I remembered my cats,  I knew if the wolf saw them they would be killed.   I ran outside and found my husband.  I yelled to him to find the cats.  (I've been quite worried about the fate of my pets should the Rapture happen and them be left behind.)    The monster saw us and came down from the roof, my husband led him away to the back yard and I ran in the opposite direction.  The front doors to the house were locked at I had to try to get to safety in the backyard.  (This represents leaving the safety of the protected house and then not being able to get back in.  A Nation that leaves God behind can not expect to be able to run back in when danger is lurking.)

As I rounded the corner of the house, the wolf saw me, changed directions and turned to attack.  I screamed and ran as fast as I could but there was no escape.  Just as I was about to be devoured I stopped, turned, and stood my ground.  I rebuked it in the name of Jesus and the monster howled in pain.  Emboldened, I drove him from my yard.  Each time I rebuked him, it shrunk in size and fled in defeat.  (This represents the real threat of the enemy and it was only when we are about to lose our lives do we take the authority that has always been ours to wield.)

Exhausted from the battle, I realized I needed to call Animal Control.  The government needed to come and get this wolf out of my neighborhood.  I dialed 311 and a city worker picked up the phone, but he would not stop talking to his co-worker and listen to me.  They were visiting and discussing the jobs they wish they had or were going to get.  I kept yelling in the phone, "Hello?  Hey, we need help out here."  There was no help coming from the government.

As I'd tried to get the attention of the government, I'd begun strolling toward the back of my childhood neighborhood.  You don't often visit the back of a neighborhood if you live near the front.  To my horror, it was destroyed.  At first I thought it was rebuilding but then I recognized that the construction had been abandoned for years.  (This represents the destruction of our homes, our way of life, our families.)

Finally, the back of the neighborhood turned into a huge junkyard where cars were piled six stories high and the dump went on as far as the eye could see.  There were shiny new corporate buildings overlooking the junked cars.  Everyone was walking and I warned my fellow pedestrians about the wolf nearby.  One lady said those wolves are everywhere now, that she'd seen six of them cross the road just up the way.  A man on a bicycle rode by and gave me an insufferable superior look.  I scoffed, "What are you looking at?"  He laughed and rode off, it was then that I realized that he at least had a bike.  Nobody else did because all the cars had been destroyed while the men in the new shiny buildings looked on.

30 Days of Birth Pangs - Day 27 Downward Spiral

Matthew 24:8 - These are the birth pangs.

I heard someone say yesterday that the baby's head is crowning.  There is no turning back.  The below was originally written in June 2015 and the destruction since then is unfathomable.

The break neck speed of world events is beyond the comprehension of man.  The acceleration, since the last Blood Moon in April is staggering and those with eyes to see are dizzy with the warning of it.  Like an evil funnel, the closer we get to the bottom the faster the time between catastrophes and the severity thereof.  Let no man deceive you, we are on the precipice of judgement.

For the born again believer, these are exciting times for they signal the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  These are fearsome times for the rest of humanity; right at the door, destruction draws nigh.  This downward spiral is a warning, a harbinger of judgement that will befall the world, and individual man.

God is merciful and it is His wish that no one should perish that all would come to faith in His Son and have ever lasting life but I have to tell you that He is also a God of utter righteousness.  He is fearsome to behold, He is a God of Wrath, and a perfect Judge.  In the Days of the Gospel of Love we have failed to understand or to teach that falling into the hands of the Living God without the covering of the Son's Blood is a terrible thing.

We have failed to tell unbelievers that they are enemies of God (Romans 5:10) and we fail to tell them that their eternal fate is choosing to send themselves to Hell.  In our desire to woo them into the Kingdom we neglect the Outer Darkness, we have to warn not just woo.

Rapture Index Scores:

Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2:  8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3:  7 out of 10
Revilers - Day 4:  8 out of 10
Signs in the Heavens - Day 5:  9 out of 10
Commotions - Day 6:  7 out of 10
Scoffers - Day 7:  10 of 10
Vexed Souls - Day 8:  10 of 10
Greed -Day 9:  8 of 10
Famine - Day 10:  8 of 10
Itching Ears- Day 11:  10 of 10
Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10
Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13:  9 of 10
Brutal Men - Day 14:  8 of 10
Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15:  9 of 10
Boasters - Day 16:  9 of 10
Messianic Jews - Day 17:  7 of 10
Demonic Activity - Day 18:  8 of 10
Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10
Hedging Your Bets - Day 20:  9 of 10
You Make Me Want to Vomit  - Day 21:  10 of 10
Earthquakes- Day 22:  10 of 10
Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23:  10 of 10
Antisemitism - Day 24:  9 of 10
False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10
Asleep Church - Day 26:  10 of 10
Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10

Rapture Index Total to date:  242 out of 270 or 89.63%

30 Days of Birth Pangs - Day 3 Mass Animal Deaths

Hosea 4:3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

The winter solstice that occurred on December 22, 2010 was accompanied by a rare Lunar Eclipse, the first such occurrence since 1638 source.  Richter Scales across the globe registered seismic activity.  The US President signs an order to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".  By today's standards, these headlines seem ho hum but this date marks the beginning of something sinister... mass animal deaths.

Dead Fish

Billions of animals have died inexplicably.  End Times Prophecy has kept a complete listing as of today, there have been 577 mass animal deaths thus far in 2015.  Here is a single day's example:

13th August 2015 - 21 dead whales have been found during the past month in southeast Alaska, America.
13th August 2015 - 32 dead dolphins have washed up THIS MONTH, 'something is wrong', along the coast of Bulgaria.
13th August 2015 - 4 dead humpback whales found washed up in British Columbia, Canada.
13th August 2015 - 4 Whales stranded, 3 dead on the coast of New Taipei, Taiwan.
13th August 2015 - Tens of thousands of fish have died (3rd mass die off this year) in a lake in Mandalay, Myanmar.
13th August 2015 - Hundreds of dead herring found washed up on a beach in Unalaska, Alaska, America.
13th August 2015 - Large numbers of fish dying off in south-central Alaska, America.
13th August 2015 - Dozens of dead birds found washed up on the river bank in Keokuk, Iowa, America.
13th August 2015 - Die off of several species of fish found along 3 miles of river in Iowa, America.
13th August 2015 - Hundreds of anchovies wash up in Monterrey Harbor in California, America.

Secular researchers from the University of San Diego, UC Berkeley and Yale blame man made pollution and natural causes but assert that each die off must be studied by scientist familiar with the species to determine the cause of death.  Given the number of reported die offs there are not enough scientist, money, or time to keep up with it all.

The truth is that we are living on borrowed time.  The Creator is bringing judgement upon this planet, not because we are polluters but because we have rebelled against Him.  Sadly, the vast majority of the animals alive at the beginning of the Tribulation will not survive, some days, I feel worse for them than I do the rebellious people.

Lovers of Self - Day 1 - Rapture Index Score:  10 out of 10
Perplexities of Nations - Day 2 - Rapture Index Score:  8 out of 10
Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3 - Rapture Index Score:  7 out of 10

This World is on Fire

The World is on fire:  We see it literally, as fires are raging out of control across the planet.  We see it figuratively in Christian slaughter and persecution.

Literal:

I saw a global fire map this week and it shocked me with its imagery.  Lest I be duped, I checked it out, and found it to be legitimate.  Using the Shemitah Cycle as a guide, let's look at a comparative.  Our control will be the image from July 9-18, 2000 which is "before" judgments began.

Global Fire Map July 9-18, 2000

The satellite images detect fire from space, yellow is sustained fires over multiple days.  The full impact is appreciated as the pictures are enlarged, which I encourage you to do on the link.

Global Fire Map July 10-19, 2015

Figurative:

We are witnessing a Christian Holocaust and the world is silent.

To the faithful church, the Lord writes:  2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.  (Then He goes on to give encouragement) In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.  And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, (thus this is a Rapture verse to the church) for you believed what we told you about him.

Abigail and Dolley readers as the birth pangs (Matthew 24:8) increase upon the Earth, this Earth is travailing.  Even unbelievers know that fire is used by God as judgement, we know this in our hearts because God wrote it on our conscience.

Downward Spiral to Judgement

The break neck speed of world events is beyond the comprehension of man.  The acceleration, since the last Blood Moon is staggering and those with eyes to see are dizzy with the warning of it.  Like an evil funnel, the closer we get to the bottom the faster the time between catastrophes and the severity thereof.  Let no man deceive you, we are on the precipice of judgement.

Downward Spiral of World Events

For the born again believer, these are exciting times for they signal the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  These are fearsome times for the rest of humanity; right at the door, destruction draws nigh.  This downward spiral is a warning, a harbinger of judgement that will befall the world, and individual man.

God is merciful and it is His wish that no one should perish that all would come to faith in His Son and have ever lasting life but I have to tell you that He is also a God of utter righteousness.  He is fearsome to behold, He is a God of Wrath, and a perfect Judge.  In the Days of the Gospel of Love we have failed to understand or to teach that falling into the hands of the Living God without the covering of the Son's Blood is a terrible thing.

We have failed to tell unbelievers that they are enemies of God (Romans 5:10) and we fail to tell them that their eternal fate is choosing to send themselves to Hell.  In our desire to woo them into the Kingdom we neglect the Outer Darkness, we have to warn not just woo.

The Year of the Sheep and Goat

Thursday, February 19 began the Chinese year of the Sheep and Goat.  Considering the Biblical significance of both creatures, current events, and the perilous times we now reside it did not seem like coincidence to me.  Volumes have been written about the both creatures; I'll not seek to regurgitate the works of others but try and bring a fresh perspective.

Compare:
From an animal classification (taxonomy) perspective sheep and goats are identical all the way to the subfamily, they split from each other at the genus level.  Sheep are of the ovis and goats of the capra genus respectively.  So biologically, the creatures are close cousins, we know what we've read and watched on TV but first hand knowledge of these creatures is now reserved for farmers, so let's look at some basic facts.

Basic Facts:

Perhaps, the first thing you think of when you hear, "Sheep" is that they are stupid, I was surprised to learn that this is not actually the case (Reference).  On their own, sheep are defenseless and will run from what frightens them.  Their primary means of protection is to band together in a herd, even though they might not particularly like each, they are social.  Sheep follow each other, sticking together in the herd.  When the shepherd calls them, some sheep will respond to his voice and because of the herd instinct others will follow.  Some false shepherds may try and fool the sheep by calling them but when they arrive if they are not fed, sheep will quickly perceive the trick and no longer respond to the impostor.  Sheep tightly band together when they feel safe but when danger approaches they spread out and make room to run.  They know their names and will respond to the shepherd when called.  Sheep have excellent peripheral vision and can see 270° to 320°, but they have poor depth perception, so they can not always tell how close to danger they are.  They do not like the dark and will always move toward light.

Goats can be curious, intelligent, and loving creatures. (Reference)   Baby goats must be watched closely as they have an uncanny ability to get lost in hidey holes or small caves.  Goats are playful and the babies will jump all over their family members.  They climb to death defying heights with no fear of the consequences. They seem to be much more sexualized in their mating and rituals than sheep.  Females have dramatic orgasmic behavior after mating and the male buck becomes a filthy aggressive creature in the rut who urinates all over himself, including his face.  Goats relish the stench which will spread throughout the herd and into the milk if allowed to live together.  Herd life is different for goats that sheep.  A strong hierarchy is established in a goat herd through fighting and violence, even unto death. Newcomers are bullied and beaten up, goats take sides to determine the outcome. Herdsman may try to quell this behavior but it is inherent in them and can not be stopped.

Consider:
As an interesting exercise, reread the above two paragraphs making these substitutions:
Sheep - Christian
Sheep Herd - Church
Shepherd - Jesus
Goat - Carnal Man
Goat Herd - Society
Herdsman - Government

Contrast:
In agriculture, the shepherd uses his dog, whom the animals view as a predator to control them through their herd protective instinct.  There is no mention of Jesus' sheepdog - he does not use a predator to control us but calls to us by name and expects us to listen to his voice.  Only false prophets and evil leaders must always have an enforcer to keep the flock in line.  The maniacal Muslims that kill over cartoons are a good examples of these wicked beings.  

In Scripture, we have the Sheep and the Goat Judgement.  That is often confused with the Rapture of the church, but if you look at it carefully, you will see that it takes place at the beginning of the Millennium just after the 2nd Coming.  In context, Matthew 25:31, is clearly the Second Coming, note that he is coming in His glory to sit on his throne.  The Sheep and Goat is a dual judgement of individuals alive after the Tribulation and the nations, with the wicked people and nations (goats) being cast aside and the sheep being welcomed into the kingdom.

The church of Jesus Christ worships the Lamb of God; conversely, the church of Satan uses the symbolism of a Goat but the object of their worship is anything but a goat - he is the viper, the serpent, the evil one who counterfeits all from the Living God.  So in the end, even now there are only two kinds of people on the earth the sheep and the goats.  

Conclusion:

In closing, I find it interesting that the Chinese calendar would deem this the year of the sheep and goat.  The Lord is coming soon and He is not stranger to judgement between the sheep and the goats.  As we are in this age of grace, do not be a goat, for nothing will change you to a sheep once it is too late.  Seek Jesus as your Savior now, so that you might not hear, "Depart from me, I knew you not."

The Reckoning

As the world spirals ever downward and the signs of the times manifest on an hourly basis, I am utterly astounded at the slumber most of the population is in.  I am burdened beyond measure to shout at the top of my lungs that people need to wake up, Wake Up, WAKE UP!  The enemy of your soul is at the gate and this unhinged world bent on self satisfaction is gladly ushering him in.

There is no coincidence that in vampire lore evil needs permission to enter your house.  Thus too, supernatural evil requires permission and society is beckoning it in with exultation.  Dressed as a sexy angel, the foolish world celebrates the fleshly desires evil brings with him.  They are drunk on the blood of innocents and scoff at the most High God day and night.  

Do you feel the shaking?  Do you hear the howling wind?  Do you sense the storm raging?  For the unseen is greater than the seen and wicked and dying men are blind to the calamity approaching.  A faithful and merciful God calls for the lost to repent and the remnant cry continuously in the streets, "Repent, return to God for judgement is coming if you do not."  

Deluded men say to themselves, "I am a good person, I have nothing to repent for."  This is a lie, for judged against the standards of perfection we fall short.  We have lived in a society for so long that tries to understand and excuse evil that we are no longer conflicted or convicted in ourselves or others.  We make excuses for everything we do: Well, I was depressed when I abused those drugs.  I was lonely so I slept around.  I was can not be held accountable,  I was born this way.  The rationalizations are as endless as the sins they seek to excuse.  We all do it, our self esteem depends on it.  Our society has taught us that it is harmful to blame ourselves and injure our self esteem but I say the opposite is true.

"If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Do you understand what that means?  That means that instead of making excuses and covering up for ourselves, we can be free of the bondage of sin and death, we can be cleansed and made whole.  We can be right with God and justified through faith in the Son, Jesus Christ.  

You are not damned unless you chose it.  God does not consign anyone to Hell, people chose it themselves.  They shake their fist at God, harden their hearts, and perish of their own volition.  For since the beginning of your life, "God has made himself known to you, through the rocks, the trees, the flowers, that at the end no man will be without excuse."  Seek the Lord, Repent, we have entered the time of the Reckoning.

Modern Idolatry

In Second Grade, the highlight of the week was Wednesday when the retired Senior Pastor would teach Old Testament Bible class.  He was gentle story teller who wove pictures and told tales that came alive in our imaginations.  We cheered the victories of the heroes and hung our heads in shame at their failures.  His stories about the Patriarchs, Moses, the Judges, and the Kings were fascinating.

The Old Testament is full of heroes and miracles but it is also full of idol worship.  Idol worship is strange to the modern mind, it seems silly.  As a kid, I always thought that I would never fall victim to all of the sins of the Israelites.  I mean who bows down to a cow statue, right?  I thought idolatry was dead, but is it?

Idol Worship - Then and Now

Idolatry is anything you love more than you should, where you devote your passion, your time, your money, and your thoughts.  Often your devotion will become part of who you are, your defining characteristic and part of how other people describe you.  Think about it for a second, what is the first adjective that comes out of someone's mouth describing your character?  Do they say: "He's an Executive", she's a "Sports Mom" or "She's in great shape"?  How do you describe yourself?  Be honest, what's the first adjective that you use?  How are you defining yourself?.

Now take it even deeper, what do you love?  Do you love your company, your work, your team, your children, your body?  Do you love them more than God?  Do you chose that activity over attending regular worship?  Will you drag yourself out of a sick bed to go to a game but pull the covers over your head for church?  Are you spending evenings reviewing spread sheets and reports but haven't picked up your Bible in years?  Will you drive two hours for a business appointment but not set aside a lunch hour a month to go to a men's Bible Study? Will you drive your exhausted children to football practice four days a week but let them sleep in on Sunday?

Where are your priorities?  Because, my Friends, I will tell you idolatry is not dead, it just wears a new face.  It has a business suit, a yoga bra. or a sports jersey, it might even be looking back at you from that selfie.  Is it in your children, who you try to give a perfect life free of the pain and failure you experienced as a kid?

The first two commandments state, you shall have no other God's before me and you shall not worship idols.  My friends, we are a nation that puts money, business, ourselves and sports above God.  We worship at the alter of the Dow Jones and fret over every jobs report.  We ecstatically worship in arenas, stadiums, and high school football bleachers and turn our noses up in disdain if the person beside us in church lifts their hand in worship and praise.  We care for our bodies in such a way that we are afraid to eat Salmon that has swum by a Salmon farm for fear of contamination.  We have become shallow, lame, and utterly boring in our inward focus and our worldly worship.

Sports Worship

We are a world of idolaters who thumb our noses at the Most High God.  We are a world ripe for judgement.  We are a world of scoffers and idolaters.  God will not be mocked, HE will not stand idly by forever.  Our world has been under a series of judgments for decades and they have escalated since 9/11.  I truly believe a third major judgement will soon befall this world soon if we do not repent and turn back to God.
We can not as individuals control the disintegration of this present darkness but we can change our own hears, we can change our families.  I implore you to look inside, look deeply inside, judge yourself harshly, judge yourself by the standard of perfection - look upon your life, repent, and change.  Ask God to be merciful to you and to your Nation.  Ask for His healing, return to Him.  He loves you, He'll take you back.