This article was first seen at WRSA. Admittedly it’s a little lengthy, but it is peppered with truths, so it’s worth sharing. Dr. Baldwin of Liberty Fellowship has an article published at Lew Rockwell in which he elaborates his take on the article’s spiritual death portion(s). Pastor Baldwin blames the pastors of America’s churches. Indeed, they are at fault in many cases, but no believer gets off that easy; it’s your fault, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

Kneissel [the author of a book on this topic], who is from Central Europe, makes it sound as if Europe is living in the past, before 1914, when it was politically central to the world, instead of being a more or less irrelevant political backwater as it is in 2022. What is certain is that the physical fall of an empire is always preceded by its spiritual fall. What did this spiritual fall consist of?

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The extraordinary thing is the self-justification of the Western world for its own suicide and its refusal to admit that anything is wrong with it. On the contrary, only its ‘values’ of ‘freedom, democracy and human rights’ are correct and must therefore be spread throughout the ‘free world’. All who do not accept its ‘values’, which in fact are anti-values because they are destructive, not constructive like real values, must be mocked, slandered and, if necessary, bombed into submission. Today’s Western world is visibly coming to resemble medieval frescoes showing the torments of hell, which are what spiritual death is. The Western world has been demonised, the demons have been called up from the bowels of hell to occupy it and visibly and mockingly inflict its ‘Western values’.

Unless God is well pleased, He withdraws His blessings. YES, devils are very real and actually exist (I know, I’m repeating myself but do you understand?) and inhabit the workers of inequity at all levels and types within a society as the Lord allows. When the Lord allows, many more devils may begin to overwhelm a people. This is scriptural; the point is that evil abounds unto destruction.

The failure of the churches in the West is the root cause; doing nothing about abortion and supporting endless wars are two of the glaring sins. The article makes this point well. And without a very learned understanding of what God requires in His Law-word, separating the causes (sins) and results (evil abounding) is challenging. We’ll neither parse the article nor establish the Law here. But we know for certain that abortion and war without just cause are both murdering the innocent, of which particular sin is listed sixth in the top ten. And we’ll state that murder, by default, means that you have set other gods before you, for the one true and living God is the God of life and life eternal, the first commandment.

We’ll say plainly, only in Christ does salvation live for the individual, the marriage, the family, a church body, your town, county, state, and country. Nobody, and surely not a politician, is coming to save you.

“13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:13-18

He who delivered the law was veiled that the end of the law could not be looked upon, which veil remains over the heart of all that have yet to believe, and also those who have heard but disbelieve the Gospel of Christ Jesus. For if the Gospel is hidden, it is hidden from them that are lost: the wrath of God abides on them all. But the Gospel is the end of the law for them that accept the Lord.

Look to verse 16; “Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord” What is it that must turn to the Lord? It’s the heart in verse 15. But to all them that accept, their heart has turned to behold not a man veiled with punitive measures of law, but beholding Jesus plainly as though in the mirror, we who have faith see Him that delivered us not into the bondage of law but to freedom. For the Lord is He who offers liberty by the Holy Spirit, that by faith, with open face, the veil of ignorance, which is a blinded mind, stands taken away and we, being made sighted, eyes filled with confidence are now fixed on our Saviour.

And today, the god of this world has blinded the minds of all who believe not the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Salvation in Christ is not only liberty from the law, but from the law of the sin and death that in Christ Jesus you might overcome the world and the devil; for Jesus defeated all these in the resurrection.

Being changed over time in obedience to the calling of Christ, we serve our Master, recreated a little more each day into the image of Christ, transformed into a son of God. Therefore, we ought to attend to God with purpose, to tell the Gospel to all we encounter, praying with hope toward heaven for the veil of unbelief to be removed from their eyes, that they too would behold Christ plainly.

Eternal salvation is delivered by faith in Jesus. He died for all who turn by repentance of the heart to live forgiven in liberation from sin, and He rose again the third day. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” – John 11:25

Jesus is the life and the resurrection of the soul now, and unto life everlasting in the eternal glory of heaven to come. Turn in your heart toward Him that is able to open your eyes to the truth; Jesus is life.

I have been remiss; promising a post on Church, Family, and State as ruled by men of God, it remained undone. It’s a complex topic firstly, and effort posting about the word of God is not advised; teaching the laws of men as though they were God’s can be the result. Except the Lord allow, this primer will have to suffice that I will not be found a liar; so my yea, may be yea (Matthew 5:33-37, especially 37), while primarily seeking to please the Lord our God. There are pages of scrap; perhaps more posts on this subject will follow.

“25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28

We could say much about these verses and our current state of affairs. The government no longer serves the people; all get this. Neither do men serve their family well by giving them all they desire, letting the help meet and children rule. And handing the churches to the government by “law” and taking debt from bankers is no service to our King at all. Most churches now are full of unrepentant sinners trying to control each other.

The Church in America is dead, and the people in them don’t know it yet. The problem with the American churches is not one of structure; the crisis from the fall in the garden to this very moment is sin. Sin is broadly defined as disobedience to Holy God. If they are Christians, we can suppose that they will be beaten with few stripes, for they indeed seem ignorant (Luke 12:47-48). The American churches are self-licking ice cream cones. They serve the corporation instead of building the Kingdom of God. They have done what Christ told the Pharisees they should not have done (Mark 7:7-9). They have taken the form and structure of a top-down managerial corporate enterprise by running things like a business (which is what they are) under the laws of men. They sell an experience while turning Christ into little more than a minstrel show. Their leaders are corporate heads, serving the corporation.

The problem with men is a problem of the heart. Creating a formal structure, or abolishing any legal system of rule, does nothing to address the root cause at the core of all that is wrong with the world. The problem is sin, it’s the problem with everything, and it’s the problem with you. Nobody in government follows the formal government that we have. It’s lawlessness by falsely claimed authority; it’s anarchy. It’s been this way because no structure, type, or outward form of a governing body can solve the problem with a man’s heart. The State, by its law, is only punitive, not preventative, and not restorative. The law can only punish. By the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The law makes criminals, and that’s all it can do.

Sin is the start of what’s wrong with families in America. There’s no reason to list all the issues; we know them. Fathers that are known of God teaching their children the word of God, and not as intellectual exercises, but as doers of the word is what’s lacking.

The sin in these three governing bodies of civil society stems from a failure to serve God, seeking Him first, so “all these things” (Matthew 6:33) will be added as blessings from God. “All these things” will be taken away because we have failed to seek His righteousness first in the Kingdom of God, making church, family, and state His. The instruction in Matthew 6:24-34 has specific application as Jesus began to train His men to die for His holy name. Still, we must make an application today of verses 24 and 33.

The New Testament is primarily about the birth of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. Today we are supposed to be building His kingdom, the Kingdom of God, while our Master is in the far country (Parable starting in Luke 19:12). Undoubtedly, He returns to us.

Anarchy isn’t a lack of formal government; is not your very government the source of anarchy in the West, which is lawlessness? Government is punitive. That’s all it can do is punish. Government cannot create a just State, restore a man, or be a child’s or woman’s family head and leader.

The Church (body of Christ) is restorative. Only God can change a man’s heart, filling him with the fruit of the Spirit to make him a minister and servant of the good. The family, not the State, is preventive in the proper training and raising of the generations.

These three only function to serve, or minister, to bring good when the individuals in them are Christ’s. And no man, in any capacity, can perform the good and minister in these ordained institutions of Holy God except he studies God’s word as though his life and the lives of those under his care depended upon it; because they do. Being converted and made Christian isn’t enough; you must read and first submit to His Law-word (Matthew 6:33).

It is the family ordained by God at the start (Genesis 2:4-5), by the proper raising of children (Proverbs 22:6, and Fifth Commandment – Exodus 20:12) that prevents crime (sin) and civilizational decay (judgment – removal of God’s blessings).

The Church, by salvation in Christ, is restorative, bringing the lost sinner to repentance by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, giving him the saving faith of Christ Jesus, and establishing the knowledge of sin in his conscience. Salvation first, then a desire to be as Christ through studying His word and assembling with other believers. Only the Gospel can save Western Civilization because the men need to be converted first.

The man, having been begotten again in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 1:3), a type and picture of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3) as the head of the family, is to be priest and king (Revelation 1:6). Christian men are not only the priest (spiritual leader) of the family. The man is to be submitted to Christ and head of the local body of Christ (epistles to Timothy are replete). And yes, we are to take over all government (Exodus 18:19-27, especially 21) for God’s great and abundant purposes in judgment, grace, and mercy, and for instruction in righteousness that it may go well with our people upon the land.

Under the New Covenant, do these: build the Kingdom of God now while preparing every man his heart, his family, his church body, and his governments in anticipation of the great and terrible day of Christ’s return to claim all that are His. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10

Dominion is not only about the planet. Christian men are the just judge, ministers, servants, teachers, priests, and kings of all Christ gives to them; government, church, and especially in their family; this is dominion in the New Covenant. God adds thereunto when you do well with little (Matthew 25:14-30). It’s a hard job. In fact, without Jesus, it can’t be done.

Christ’s Church, family, and state are all to be submitted to God, but men love to make for themselves false gods erecting governments that usurp His throne and ungodly home authority structures. And other pride-filled men are all too happy to abridge the Law-word, constructing governments to usurp family and religion. And the churches are capital enterprises instead of teachers of the nations as Christ commands (Matthew 28:18-20). The moral law is supposed to emanate from the Church (teach all nations Matthew 28:20).

Family is the primary government with the Christian man as head. Civil authority (Governments) are to support the liberty (keep the peace for He is the Prince of Peace) given by Christ for men to function in community one with another, keeping all that Christ commands. Family is supposed to be presented to God, and so too government and every gathering of believers. All these, in fact, will be handed up; may they be found of Him well and pleasing in His sight.

You say this is challenging. Not if every man believes and studies the Scriptures with purpose. Immediately the minds of men go toward how to structure society; that’s an error of approach. You can’t; the lost must be saved, sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, and sanctified (Galatians 2:21), the law following after. This is not an organization of men in which we set out to subjugate (again) one another. Nor are we to try to change the minds of the world. Jesus Christ saves souls; faith unto salvation (repentance) changes their minds. The job is to preach the Gospel to every creature and teach the nations which must first believe. You can’t do it; government can’t do it. Jesus does it. Only under Christ are all men made one before the majesty of His throne (Revelation 7:9-10).

Several months ago, we posted a note about the destruction of Jerusalem. Below we find a well-researched and accessible snapshot of the temple system being replaced by Christ. Not only is Jesus the final sacrifice once for all, ending the necessity of the temple system, but the articles contend that Jesus was teaching and preparing His disciples for all aspects of the temple system to be completed in the person of Jesus Christ. That is something I had not considered.

AD 70 & THE TEMPLE’S FAILURE part 1 and part 2

AD 70 is an important date in redemptive-history. In that year the ancient temple of Israel was destroyed, never to be rebuilt.

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In the Gospel record Jesus’ subtle conduct and overt teaching prepare us for the removal of the temple as both theologically unnecessary and as spiritually corrupt. John’s Gospel is especially interesting in this regard: In Jn 1:14 Christ appears as God’s true “tabernacle” (eskēnōsen en ēmin). [1] This theme of Jesus replacing the religious features of Israel recurs repeatedly in his ministry: In 1:51 he, rather than the temple or high priest, is the nexus between heaven and earth because…

These posts provide an excellent example of why the temple was to be destroyed; judgment loomed in the first century. There will be at least one more part of the series on the linked website.

Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

Matthew 18:1-6, 10, 14

“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:14

In Matthew 18, we find several parables put forth by our Lord Jesus Christ. And, there is the example to the disciples that they should have the humility of a child, the simple faith demonstrated by those little ones that are Christ’s. Indeed, if only we would have such simple, humble belief as a child’s trust toward God; that He is who and what He says.

There is the parable of removing body parts that offend and the parable of the one and ninety-nine sheep. Those are woven through the text in a beautiful display of the grace of God both for salvation and the earnest approach of the believer toward Christ. But, the instruction on treating children in the kingdom is quite valuable and tangible. Jesus sets a small child in the midst and makes several statements for edification about how God views little ones and His expectations for adults in the Kingdom of God concerning children.

It’s not the will of holy Father God that children should perish. We take the meaning to be spiritual death in eternity, although judgment against that generation loomed. There’s not much more significant in the Kingdom of God than showing a little one how Jesus loves them, dying for them that they need not perish, and rising from the grave in majesty, might, and power to be King of all.

Children so readily take to the story, the mystery of the revelation of Christ hidden throughout the ages and to us, blessed beyond measure with life after the cross, and the historical record of the suffering of Christ that we might go free. It’s elementary to create a word picture of Christ the victorious King that little ones will listen to with rapt attention, fascinated. There is no Disney production, no fairy tale, no story of a gallant prince that compares to the level of Jesus Christ fulfilling the thousands of years of prophecies concerning His coming. It’s the best because it’s all true. And to think, as good as the story is now, just you wait until His return!

And so warning, there are the protectors of children to the detriment of the child’s eternal soul. Here’s the problem, the root of the problem is very disturbing in its scope and results among children of the churches; the lack of trust in the Holy Spirit by adults, especially their parents and relatives. We’ve seen several problems manifest from this distrust.

Intensely bothersome are those parents and other relatives that when their child is confronted with the truth of the Gospel, they seek to shield them, petting them, drawing them close as though the Holy Spirit of God or a verse of Scripture were a monster to pollute their mind and corrupt their body. We’ve seen this on too many occasions; it’s painful to watch the ignorance of the adults. The Holy Spirit of God knows exactly what He’s doing. There is no reason to guard children against the sound of the word of God or the story of Christ. On the contrary, these adults risk losing the child to damnation forever.

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – Hebrews 10:31

Children are not alone; we all may experience the full range of emotions under the sound of the Gospel, especially the fear that can grip a soul under the pressure of the Holy Spirit about their station in eternal torment.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 19:14

It’s trust, do adults, can they, with their most precious of loves, trust upon unconditional terms that the Holy Spirit knows just the right amount of conviction in each individual child to bring them to Christ? If those children perish in eternity because their parents or loved ones protected them from the fear of God Almighty as the Holy Spirit presses upon them, heaven help them; may their millstone lay lightly (Matthew 18:6).

And we’ve another equally disturbing yet different treatment of children by loved ones. Those convinced beyond the evidence of their child’s salvation, of all ages, but even little ones. As a practical warning, I can coerce a confession and prayer out of just about any child, and so can most adults. Many thousands, perhaps millions of parents, are convinced of the salvation of their loved ones without any basis in fact, prima facie, all evidence to the contrary.

A parent’s hope is Christ indwelling the child. The hope is lovely; hope above measure and never cease to pray, but the reality of the lost child’s soul is what’s paramount if a child remains dead in their trespasses and sin. Please listen to this carefully; children that are saved know they’re saved, and the Holy Spirit in them will confess it, even with reason and evidence, without prompting or help.

Many children, maybe millions, have made a profession of faith, and no man knows their heart; but the Holy Spirit will change them and bear fruit of the Spirit as evidence. The Holy Spirit in the believer continues to convict of sin. This changes the believer’s mind over time; changes their likes, dislikes, and desires of the heart. The believer grows in love and knowledge of Christ, and when it’s genuine, it shows. It’s ridiculous above measure; the proposition that saved children are doing drugs, getting pregnant, watching porn, and going to jail. They’re not saved; they’re just not! People that are in Christ, of all ages, desire the things of God.

How many times have we asked a child how they know they’re going to heaven and gotten blank stares as though they were asked to calculate the proper route of a Mars landing craft? If they are saved, the Holy Spirit in them will testify of Christ, for this is one of His essential functions: He witnesses of Christ through the believer (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit of God knows His own.

Parents, sadly, will begin to prompt their children and coach them to say the right words when the child is obviously lost as a goose. It’s heartbreaking to watch. They’re likely headed to hell. Everybody has a bad day, but consistent ignorance of the knowledge of salvation is – evidence of consistent ignorance of the knowledge of salvation.

Then there is the instance, strange as it may sound, that unless the child gets saved the exact way, under the same verses, circumstances, or prayer as the adult, they are forbidden to come to Christ. It’s weird and hard to understand.

Everybody’s salvation testimony is unique; there are as many stories as saved souls. Why would parents care if the child gets saved at an altar, in Sunday School, at home, in a restaurant parking lot, or hanging upside down from monkey bars at the park? If a verse from Genesis three and not John 3 pricks the child’s heart, why forbid them? The word of God brings faith (Romans 10:17). When the Spirit is hot in pursuit of a lost soul, that is the time to strike at the heart with the extraordinary story of Christ, afresh and anew, while sharing Scripture. It’s God that saves souls under the conviction of the Holy Spirit; it’s not locations, circumstances, a parent’s favorite pet doctrine, or bible story; Christ saves!

The ignorance is astounding in each of these instances. It’s not the will of the Father that these littles should perish, and millions of professing adults are working counter to the will of God for the children in their families. It’s shocking to consider what’s happening in heaven’s throne room while relatives interrupt the sound of the Gospel in favor of their predilections!

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10

If that verse doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, you’re too hard-hearted to reach. What can a preacher, youth pastor, witness, or soul winner do? It makes one want to grab them and scream; your child will burn in hell for eternity, and you’re making it happen! It’s so very frustrating.

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6

If you have children, tonight, take them one at a time to bed and tell them of Christ; plainly and with love, share the truth of the Gospel and offer to pray with them.

But, there are great moments in the Kingdom of God; we’ve seen obedient parents wait in prayerful silence while their child hears a thorough explanation of the Gospel. That’s always a blessing. There’s no reason to dumb down the Gospel or try to make it less scary for children. It is scary; hell is horrible. The Holy Spirit does the work, leaving the pure word of truth in their soul.

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4

This post is about how deeply life has changed for me in the last two years because of Covid-19. Nah, just kidding; I haven’t done anything differently than before or now. But I am joyful and thankful toward the Almighty for the last two years. What’s been revealed is very instructive.

Those known of God should be serious, cataloging what they’ve learned about how the spirit of antichrist moves among the Godless, affecting their minds and every action. Although that lab-created virus was unpleasant and killed like a tough flu strain, even most of those who knew the whole thing was bunk succumbed to the spirit of fear, in one form or another, through adapting to the new normal as evil attempted to impose its will. Make note of it all.

We tend to focus on the people who brought the new normal, but we, born again by the Spirit of God, know they are merely agents. You got to witness firsthand something westerners have not seen since perhaps the Middle Ages; God allowing a grave evil to sweep through the land. You should pray to the Almighty and consider what you’ve seen; moreover, consider your ways in light of what you now know.

Secularists will use the term mass psychosis, but what we saw was that spirit of fear by the devil as the blessings of God are being withdrawn. You witnessed the power of evil through men to affect whole masses to do their bidding. You should now know what it is and how to recognize it.

Sin, and evil thereby, are very real, tangible. These are not philosophical conceptualizations to be pondered in a mountaintop monastery, nor are they ancient lore to be dismissed as the superstitions of our ancestors. You’ve now witnessed it, don’t deny it again.

You, too, should thank God, for that was quite a treat. The enemy gave away battle plans, means, motives, personnel positions and movements, tools, and sources and methods. Yes, it’s a war, and you should understand it as such. The enemy revealed many battlefield tactics. It would be wise to understand what you saw over the last two years in the context of war. God is merciful even in His judgments.

The “supply chain disruptions” should have made you serious about doing things yourself, the local way, among the trusted, moving closer to self-sufficiency. Again, thank God for the warnings, repent and act upon your new knowledge of the enemy.

And it isn’t over. If we read our Bible correctly, the last two years were just a remote storm cloud on the horizon of what’s likely coming. The explosion in depravity is not a sign of God’s judgment; it is God’s judgment. The horrendous and even audaciously flagrant wickedness of governments is not a sign of the judicial determination of God; it’s the result.

Christians Soldiers must know the Word of God. Your life depends upon it, or you will be led astray. If you got taken up in fear or have submitted to evil the last two years, that’s a good thing. Praise the Lord for this also; it’s why God sends warnings to His people in the mercy of His grace by longsuffering. Don’t lament but repent and make ready.

You should know by now where you are supposed to be, with what group of people in common you are to serve God while seeking to make yourself both versed and experienced in hard skills and hands-on doing. Pray for God to raise up a just leader, but you train the next generation, teaching them to be just men and women, righteous in Christ, forsaking all evil. Virtuous women and skilled men will matter most. It’s a separate post perhaps but we’ll mention that men will fight for a civilization populated by virtuous women.

Contact with the enemy has arrived. Please, I beseech you by the blood of Jesus Christ to hear and heed the warnings. Fear not for these two reasons: God is in control, and you were born for this very moment. God is sovereign, all is ordained, and you are here now for a reason. Be the light of Christ to those around you. Shed truth with all those you know. Spread the hope of coming victory for those that are righteous. And train for the other side of the coming conflagration(s). Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters, welcome to the war; it’s a pleasure to serve with you, repent toward God and prepare for the next battle. Pray that you not be deceived again.

It’s a spiritual conflict waged in the heavens played out among nations and men. Seek ye the Lord.

“Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.” – Proverbs 28:5

Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” – Proverbs 4:26

Don’t go soul-winning every day. Don’t burn out on it. You will lead more souls to Jesus Christ over time by regularly going on a consistent schedule that you can maintain. Going once or twice a week is usually sustainable for most Soul Winners, and this will bring more fruit in total to the glory of God. But of course, none of this is to say that you shouldn’t be aware of exceptional opportunities presented to you during your daily activities.

Planning and being organized within your Bible while sharing verses will help you to stay focused on clearly presenting the case for Jesus Christ.

The best way to start marking a Bible is with a pencil. You’ll be glad you used a pencil to mark some verses lightly. As you gain experience and gain confidence by leading lost souls to Jesus, you’ll see that the Lord will use you to share additional verses, or you may need to adjust your approach.

Practicing aids us in not being a hindrance to the Holy Spirit of God.

After marking your Bible verses in pencil, make a plan in your mind of what you’re going to say and what verses you’ll use. And this is going to sound silly, but practice on an empty chair, or spouse, or friend. Go through the verses explaining each of the central truths that a lost sinner must realize. You can even practice in the mirror.

We don’t want to become a distraction to the lost sinner as we share the Gospel. We want the Holy Spirit of God to capture and maintain their attention.

You will be glad that you practiced. It will help you immensely to remember what to say and keep the conversation on track. And practice is a confidence builder. This way, no matter what questions the lost sinner may ask, you already know your plan, have verses marked, and know what the verses mean to explain them well. This ensures that you can answer questions while knowing exactly what verse you’re presenting. Stay focused on the current point of the conversation that you’re having with the lost soul.

From WRSA  comes an article about “assisted suicide.” As morality decays, it’s incumbent upon those maturing in Christ to be able to argue, from the Holy Writ, why these things are wrong. You must teach your family to both understand why and be able to articulate the reasoning using the text of the Holy Bible as the grounds for their argument. It’s not enough to intuit that killing is wrong; the basis must come from God’s Law-word, that His law being the ultimate authority, the laws of just men would again one day prevail.

American Christianity is woefully ill-prepared for what’s coming. You are the very best Christian that somebody knows, and if you have no answer for the cause of God by Jesus Christ, then you’re part of the problem with the Church.

The first man, Adam, sinned against God. Adam is the “one man” in Romans 5:12 below. When sin, by Adams’s transgression, entered the paradise of the Garden of Eden, death also entered in. From that moment forward, all men were born sinners; therefore, it is appointed unto men once to die (Hebrews 9:27).

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Romans 5:12

Beyond our scope here, still, it’s necessary to note that the sin curse affects everything; from that day, our planet with all its systems, gifted by God in precious dominion, is dying and with it all living things. No, it’s not global warming.

Since last year, Canadian law, in all its majesty, has allowed both the rich as well as the poor to kill themselves if they are too poor to continue living with dignity. In fact, the ever-generous Canadian state will even pay for their deaths. What it will not do is spend money to allow them to live instead of killing themselves.

[…]

It only took five years for the proverbial slope to come into view, when the Canadian parliament enacted Bill C-7, a sweeping euthanasia law which repealed the ‘reasonably foreseeable’ requirement – and the requirement that the condition should be ‘terminal’. Now, as long as someone is suffering from an illness or disability which ‘cannot be relieved under conditions that you consider acceptable’, they can take advantage of what is now known euphemistically as ‘medical assistance in dying’ (MAID for short) for free.

I have bad news for you all; it’s well beyond reasonably foreseeable: your condition is indeed terminal. The simple answer to the headline is sin. If you don’t accept that sin is real, a violation of God’s law, then you’re not a Christian. Man is totally depraved, each one a sinner. For this sin, the consequences (Wages – Romans 6:23) are death. Your Sin has earned you death. Sin is the cause of death. Not that you could have kept yourself from sinning; you’re a sinner, born that way. Perhaps it’s not your fault, but like your eye color, tough cookies, that’s the way it is. Rejecting these doctrines means, to you, that Jesus was crucified for nothing. Your theology is wrong; you remain in your sin without Christ and are headed to eternal damnation.

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” – Ezekiel 18:4

Holy God created every soul; they are His; none aren’t under His jurisdiction to do with as He pleases. Those in their sin, not reconciled to God by Christ, die eternally.

Not coincidentally, Canada has some of the lowest social care spending of any industrialised country, palliative care is only accessible to a minority, and waiting times in the public healthcare sector can be unbearable, to the point where the same Supreme Court which legalised euthanasia declared those waiting times to be a violation of the right to life back in 2005.

The article fails to point out that the government has travel restrictions for those that might seek healthcare abroad. The report also fails to note that the government withholds cheap and readily available medications that save lives.

Back in the old days when grandma was dying, the church and family pitching in financially, the local doctor also having accomplished some charitable effort would simply say there was nothing more to be done. The government was nowhere in this, and that’s as it should be.

But why would anybody be surprised by what’s become of Western Civilization? Unable to make the connection between the mass murder of those yet to draw their first breath to now killing of the old and infirm will lead to the government ridding themselves of all those they deem, Undesirables. This is headed to America.

Many in the healthcare sector came to the same conclusion. Even before Bill C-7 was enacted, reports of abuse were rife. A man with a neurodegenerative disease testified to Parliament that nurses and a medical ethicist at a hospital tried to coerce him into killing himself by threatening to bankrupt him with extra costs or by kicking him out of the hospital, and by withholding water from him for 20 days.

A “Medical Ethicist.” Perhaps the medical ethicist could tell us what the “final solution” is for these undesirables. You can read the article. Canada is a communist country, plain and simple. There is no other term for it, none.

Ultimately God is the Judge of the quick and the dead. All men face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The Canadian government sees itself as a god and arbiter of good and evil. The problem, circling back to the beginning, is that man is totally depraved, each one a sinner, only evil and wicked. There is no other conclusion to man as his own god than mass murder.

Being unable to state the cause and consequences of something makes one frustrated and angry. It’s far better, dear Christian, to know the truth and be able to articulate it so that you don’t react in anger but in the love of Christ to reestablish justice by His Law-word.

Why do you not desire to kill the innocent, but some do? Is it because that’s just normal or natural? That not wishing to kill the innocent is right isn’t the question. Neither is it a question of who is right and who is wrong. Nobody would do it if it were merely wrong to kill the innocent; every man claims knowledge of right and wrong. Of course, there’s some basis in the questions, for God has declared it from the beginning.

“22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:22-24

That’s the same sword which the Almighty baths in the baptism of blood as He exacts vengeance upon the wicked that have made war on Him and His people. Folks strive for a lifetime, trying to return to the garden of primordial days upon the earth. Please stop, look to the future, look to the new heavens and the new earth; Jesus Christ has made the way to the purity of good that you crave.

So today, starting from the earliest man, we know good and evil, but this hasn’t answered the question as to why the heart of some accepts that the taking of innocent life is corrupt, but others take life.

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” – Genesis 6:5

The heart of a man is wicked; you may be able to hide it from the rest of the world, but it’s true. All of us have not only the capacity for evil, but in the recesses of the thoughts of our heart lurks a grave evil, one every man is born with. This evil that lives in all men is not an intellectual thing; it’s not a learned behavior. It’s innate and inborn to all; it’s a man’s heart condition. But you admit that some are gifted with particular abilities; you’re about to prove a part of the point here.

Look, it’s not lost on us why many won’t go to Church; they have replaced God’s Law with the State. If it’s legal, it must be moral, is their creed. This is idolatry by Statism which is the worship of the State as a god. Some men can’t be taught not to kill, nor can they be forced by legal code. The falseness of this State as God in the American Church is a fact. Government can no more legislate good and evil than it can take the guns. Both are something that requires your cooperation.

Those who don’t kill the innocent are right —those who do good and not evil and are just.

“(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” – Romans 2:13.

You know in that same heart of yours that the doers of this law of good and evil are justified; else, you would kill with impunity. Are you shocked by that statement? If you had no moral conscience written on your heart, bearing upon your actions, what wouldn’t you do?

Hearing of right and wrong, this knowing good and evil, is not enough to keep you from thinking the most horrifying thoughts in the vanity of your imaginations, and it didn’t stop you from acting upon some of them. Nor does it stop people from killing those who have committed no offense. It’s why murder is such a fascination to many; they’re blind to God, groping in the dark for the cause of such wickedness.

And there’s the failure of eastern mysticism; that both good and evil reside in the same container, and you can choose the good. This can’t be so; do some simply decide to kill the innocent? “Should I have fries with that or kill a guy?” This is hardly a reasonable hypothesis. Evil is genuine, and you know it.

The modern ‘doctors’ of psychiatry will tell you that some cannot control themselves and are pathological, but that makes no sense either. Where did their desire to kill come from, and why did they act upon it? Pathology is not an explanation; if adequately defined, it would be the study of the vector of evil that already exists in the mind of all men.

It appears to take only a generation to whip up the minds of whole groups to kill tens of millions. So no amount of convincing nor law can stop killing, and no amount of religion either. Mass killing takes only a “proper” coxing of the evil that exists in every heart bringing those souls to bulldoze millions into open trenches out of manufactured hatred. Why are they so easily led; because evil resides in the heart. What of their yin, or is it yang? The very civilization that supposedly follows that mysticism turned to follow Moa.

“13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another)” – Romans 2:13-15

That’s a parenthetical statement in the Word of God meant to teach you this very thing: God wrote this law on your heart, that your conscience would bear witness of God by the knowledge of good and evil. Your own conscience is telling you that God exists. God wrote this law on your inward parts, upon your heart, that you might know He cares, that you’re not an animal operating only in the realm of instinct. By His grace alone, both choice and reason may have a say. Still, the law of grace is there primarily that love would rule and reign in your heart, overtaking the evil of baser desires as God remakes you into His child. You can be a child of God.

The man who wrote those verses by the Holy Spirit of God was trained in the fully enjoined law’s depth, breadth, and magnitude: “Though shalt not kill.” He was immersed in the statutes from birth and lived by the strictest letter. We suppose, having been chiefly isolated from non-Jews all his life, when he encountered Greeks and Romans (Gentiles) now with the desire to show them about God, he wondered at their capacity for good and evil without going by the book of the Law of God. He was raised in the Old Testament law; very few Europeans or Africans cared even to read it in passing, if they could obtain a copy, or read at all.

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ came to all men, these verses were written showing the light and love of God to your ancient kinsmen. So he’s teaching a point that is apt today; he’s explaining how that God has made way for you to know Him by writing His Law upon your heart even though you are not an Old Testament Israelite.

And as for me, having heard the good news of the mercy of God by Jesus Christ, accepting Him in salvation, and asking Him to take the pen of His New Testament writing it upon my heart; as a witness and a messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I’m teaching you.

The Creator has placed the first snippet of His moral code in you, like a clue, or a primer, that you might seek to know Him, having the entirety thereby completed upon your heart through faith in Jesus Christ.

That parenthetical aside in Romans 2:13-15 above appears just after these verses:

“11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” – Romans 2:11-12

God is no respecter of persons. All have broken the law, perhaps not by murder, but His rule is violated nonetheless. There’s no excuse with God, not riches, not just doing your job, not I didn’t mean to, not anything. Sin is a matter of the heart before God; all are aware of right and wrong, yet none have withheld themselves from sin. Nor could they, and neither could you; we are sinners. Not that we’re sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners from the start. That’s why God is no respecter of persons. All have sinned; there is no fear of God before their eyes; the thoughts of men are evil continually. But God can save the murderer, and He has; God can save you.

God is holy, perfect is the standard, and none may attain. But God gave His only Son, and He did overcome the world to make that way to the new heaven and new earth for you. Christ was the Law made flesh. Stop trying to make things right; get right with the Almighty; it’s His Law. He is the Judge, serve Him, and rebuild a civilization worth having under the banner of Christ Jesus.

Now is the day when God will judge the secrets of men by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How you act upon the knowledge in your heart that Christ died to forgive you of this very evil called sin is paramount to the full realization of being justified. Being religious in the morality of your own mind is not good enough; the covenant you need is by the faith of God to blot out your sins in the blood of Jesus.

“16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” – Hebrews 10:16-17

By faith in Jesus Christ, God will remember your sins and iniquities no more. By this is life today and life everlasting; Christ has defeated sin and death, rising from the grave again on the third day. Amen. Out of a genuine desire for God to cover your sin, ask Him to fill your heart with His love, to overwhelm your evil thoughts and deeds, to make you a new creation where good wins and right is the Holiness of God Almighty as He completes the record of His Law upon the heart of your desire toward Him; do it now. It’s Christ that paid to justify, and God that justifies by His grace that you might live in the New Covenant He is writing on your heart. God showed you His Law and gave you a choice. It’s God that wins; the Lord our God is life and life everlasting, for He is the author thereof. By faith in Jesus Christ, today is that day.

Isaiah 34:1-10

In Ezekiel 33, the command to the watchman must be taken much more literally than parabolically. With that in mind; this post is somewhat of a primer on the judgment of God. The hope is that you will begin to see the purposes of God’s working on earth to bring about righteousness and worship of Him. People are obsessed with the modes of God’s determinations, but those don’t matter much; your riches (prepping) cannot save you. The pure of heart by Christ Jesus; faithful to keep His commands, are spared (Proverbs 11:4).

Before we get to chapter 34 of Isaiah, points should be made that are seemingly unrelated but, as we’ll see, are not. To understand what seems to be coming upon America, Isaiah 1-35 is very good study of God’s judgments. Not with an eye to escape the coming judgment, you won’t, but to teach your children and grandchildren to abstain from idols, perversions, witchcrafts, sorceries (including medicine, drugs, or spells – Revelation 18:23, 22:15), and most importantly reject abortion and the harm of children in all forms participating in no way whatsoever. God is the author of life, the desire to end innocent life is an immediate indicator of evil in a man’s heart. Those are antichrist. The vilest outward indicator of wickedness is the longing to harm the innocent, including animals. The destruction of Jerusalem is another good study to understand what becomes of those that reject God.

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” – 1 Peter 4:17

1 Peter 4:17 is written to the immediate recipients of the letter, not about us today. But, by way of edifying the body of Christ, we should make careful note to be on guard; judgment starts in the house of God and gets worse for those who disobey the truth (those not saved). The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, not only personally but familially, congregationally, and nationally. We are well within reason, and probably well to make application from this verse today.

“9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.” – Isaiah 6:9-12

In Chapter 6, verses 1-5, Isaiah sees the Lord seated upon His throne. Ezekiel 1:28, Daniel 8:17, and John (Revelation 1:17) fell upon their faces at the sight of His power and majesty.

Isaiah is given the prophecy to shut the hearts of God’s people. For disobeying God, He blinds them to the truth of the judgment pronounced against them until the land is left “desolate.” Nonetheless, Jehovah will have a tenth part, a remnant, for the Almighty will always have a people.

Remarkable is our Lord’s statement in Matthew 13:13, 15.

“13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand… 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Note: Jesus, in Matthew 13:14, indicates the fulfillment of this blinding in first-century Israel, quoting Isaiah 6:9.

Next, in a parable, Jesus uses the example of a divided kingdom as coming to desolation in Matthew 12:22-30. Indeed America is a divided kingdom. Note: He doesn’t mention the desolations pronounced upon first-century Israel just yet. See Luke 21:20.

When the Almighty receives no sweet-smelling savor, when no sacrifice well and pleasing is offered, when He cannot find ten just men or a completed Sabbath of jubilee, He draws the sword upon the earth. He makes for himself a sacrifice fitting to both bear witness to His extraordinary power and also to satisfy His wrath.

An atoning sacrifice is offered that God would forbear (two examples: Leviticus 16:29-34, Hebrews 10:1), showing His mercies upon the people and not judging them.

Is the final sacrifice of Christ, once for all, the atonement of all the world’s sins forever? It’s the atonement for those who believe, bringing forgiveness of sin. But still, we keep His commandments. John 3:16 doesn’t mean that no judgments will exist before His bodily return. In fact, in 70AD, Israel was judged, as was just pointed out above (Luke 21:20).

Keeping the commands of Christ is both a sign and a test of our love for Him (John 14:15, 21). In love, we should desire to please Him. Many believers today take thanks for salvation but lack the desire to bring Him glory through keeping His word; this is a failure of faith to trust our King. Worship without sacrifice is not worthy of Christ.

Therefore, those that don’t keep His commandments hate Him. Perhaps they don’t feel hatred toward God, heaven forbid, but just as Christ told us unless a believer hates his own family, he cannot be a disciple (Luke 14:26). Surely, this isn’t active hatred; perhaps it’s comparative. This is what “take up thy cross” is about. The apostles made other arrangements for their families. They gave their life, being jailed, beheaded, stoned, crucified, boiled in oil to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, going whithersoever the Spirit listeth. Christ himself gave His mother to John for safekeeping (John 19:27). (What became of Joseph, Mary’s husband?) Jesus did not contravene the 5th Commandment. (Honor thy father and thy mother – Exodus 20:12, reconfirmed in the New Covenant – Ephesians 6:2) But if called of Christ, you are to follow Him above all.

The sacrifice today is you. America has had it so good for so long that wrapping one’s mind around suffering, upheaval, and war is almost impossible. Very difficult to accept but accurate nonetheless; converted to Christ, we are killed all the day long (Psalm 44:22, Romans 8:36). All sin can be forgiven in Christ, but until the blessed day when all evil shall be abolished, God loves those that keep His commandments.

Interestingly Romans 8:36 points to Psalm 44:22.

“20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; 21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. 22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” – Psalm 44:20-22

That verse 22 of the Psalm points forward to the birth of the church we must accept. The slaughter of Christians has been ongoing for two thousand years. Read verses 9-17 of Psalm 44 to see the hand of God. The body of Christ has, at times, been not only accepted but made the head of governments, priests, and kings. But at other junctures, severe persecution has come upon us throughout the so-called church age. We don’t think that every instance of slaughter in church history has been due to disobedience; God will get His glory in all things. Knowing the difference requires a depth of knowledge about the Bible, honesty with oneself, and much prayer with the Almighty so that eyes are not blinded to the truth.

Here’s the point thus far: the sword of the vengeance of God upon those that know His statutes yet reject them is a historical fact, and until Christ returns, sin remains; Jehovah is still Jehovah, the unchanging God (Malachi 3:6). He shall judge His people yet have a remnant. And He then judges those He used as the sword of chastisement against His people. This is also a historical fact. We’re not losing hope in the splendid reign of Christ when all enemies shall be put under Him; just being realistic about the current state of Western Civilization.

That’s some background to the failure of God’s people and judgment that He has brought upon them.

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Now to bring this discussion to a broader application; judgment against national America. Before you object, the fact that America is not a nation but a country – soon to be a sector in the global corporate conglomerate is most likely part of that judgment.

These things take generations to come to fruition; that’s why they are so hard to realize for selfish and shortsighted people, which is all of us. When studying the judgments of God, remember that those were brewing for sometimes several generations before God got tired of having His holy name abused by people who “draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” – Matthew 15:8

It’s a hard thing and refused to be accepted, let alone understood, living in denial the American Church will not turn back to the commands of Christ. Get over yourself. Get over your brainwashing and propaganda. We’re not exceptional nor above the reproach of God; the America of today is an enemy of Christ. Your inability to accept that doesn’t change the facts. Not only for 70 million dead babies but facilitating, more recently, the collapse of governments across the Middle East and earlier, in Central America, causing the Christians in those places to be killed by more than a million in number. And today, meddling in Africa brings rise to those that would destroy His church as fast as new groups of believers are made by the Spirit of God proclaiming Christ crucified. The American Church has done nothing to demand the endless war be halted but cheers every new bombing and invasion as though the “news” were the holy truth telling them that those peasants pose an existential threat.

Throughout each instance and church history, God has kept a faithful contingent reserved from wrath for His holy name. Most everyone has bowed the knee to idols, especially an antichrist State.

And now we arrive at America as a whole.

This isn’t only about the church; the enemies of Christ’s people are so much more consumed by their lusts and sins that the source of the wrath upon those that are antichrist often goes unknown to them. Still, we suspect from the totality of Scripture that deep in their mind, God will tell them who it is that they have transgressed. They’ll know on the last day in particular.

All of that is a background to what is in Isaiah 34:1-10. The Church has turned away from Christ, and now our civilization may well be called into question. America faces the consequences of actively participating in the slaughter of Christians. Take note that no greater wrath exists in the Bible than on those who make war on Christ by killing His people.

Having gone on for decades overseas, this slaughter of Christians will come home, and those who perpetrate it will claim to be doing (a) god a service.

This section of Scripture shows the vengeance of God against those that have perpetrated the controversy of (had a controversy with) Zion (Isaiah 34:8). Dispensationalists still apply this to the modern state of Israel. Those in the body of Christ are God’s people. Though none who believes in Jesus shall be cast off, a proper application would recognize that any who destroy the body of Christ are the enemies of God.

None of the verses cited in this writing speak of America or the modern era. They are provided to any that would listen today as a warning of the vengeance of God. His sword is against all who make Him their enemy and against their land. Why would America be any different? In Scripture, God uses those who don’t know Christ to do good to the people of God and also uses them for the day evil. There is no reason to think He doesn’t employ them for the same purposes today.

We’ll cite Isaiah 34:1-10 and refer to verses showing the same apocalyptic language. Take note, modern Revelation buffs; that apocalypse is not unique in language, symbolism, or hyperbole to the rest of Scripture.

As background, it’s generally accepted that Isaiah 34-35 is a pronouncement against all of the enemies of God’s people. We doubt historical Rome here, although some make application to specific kingdoms such as Babylon or Rome. God completed this prophecy before Christ came. Our application to today is apt; judgment against those that make war on the body of Christ.

Also, Isaiah 34 and 35 may be a summation of the book of Isaiah up to this point. That makes sense; Isaiah has thus far pronounced many judgments against the surrounding nations that are enemies of God’s people and now broadens out the scope.

God makes sweeping statements of an apocalyptic substance and often hyperbolic language in our verses. In the end, a people kept by Jehovah shall be delivered from all their foes.

In verse 1, all the nations of the earth are called to witness what becomes of those that hate God. See other similar instances in Isaiah 1:2, Isaiah 18:3, Psalm 49:1, Micah 1:2, and Revelation 1:7 (all kindreds of the earth).

In verse 2, God declares His indignation against all nations, and specifically their armies, as the instrument of assault against God’s people.

From there, we enter into a beautifully elucidated apocalyptic prophesy against them. The language is striking; the sword of Jehovah’s wrath is drawn; ruin and perpetual waste of desolations are coming. Take note that God has been longsuffering with America, but His mercy upon His enemies is not infinite.

The language is shocking in verse 3. Compare with Ezekiel 32:6 (read 7 and 8 while you’re there), Amos 9:13, and Revelation 14:20.

Though we take some of these compared verses here as more literal, see verse 4 of our text with Ezekiel 32:7-8, Joel 3:15, Matthew 24:29, 2 Peter 3:10, and Revelation 6:13-14.

Perhaps in verse 5, the sword of God’s wrath (bathed in heaven) is baptized by blood in purity and righteousness. It reminds us of a picture of the believer’s baptism, buried with Christ, and risen to walk in the kingdom of heaven. And His men now possess the truth of God, which is His word, to wield the twoedged truth of judgment (curses) and salvation (blessings).

These are a fearful thing. If your heart is not sinking at least a little at the wrath portrayed and the prospects for our future, you’ve been hardened, which is not a good indicator of your heart’s condition. None of this is to say that we have special knowledge of what’s coming; we’re making application from the Holy Bible, as God has instructed.

In Verse 6 and 7, the Lord makes for Himself a great sacrifice of the nations represented by the animals. Holiness requires righteousness; the best (fat) is not withheld being slain upon the alter of God’s vengeance for His people. Vengeance is the Lord’s, Psalm 94:1, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30, and others. Compare Jeremiah 46:10 and note that the people and the place of God’s vengeance are specific. Though, of course, we have no dates or locations, we must assume that the events coming upon America now are not random. Compare Ezekiel 39:17-19, Zephaniah 1:7, Revelation 19:17-18, and others.

Verse 8 is the controversy of Zion mentioned earlier.

Verse 9 and the beginning of 10 show a fourfold judgment: the streams to pitch, dust to brimstone, land to burning pitch, never quenched smoke going up day and night. In apocalyptic sections of Scripture, God’s judgment most often comes in a pattern of four. The second part of verse 10 summarizes this section thus far: judicial review is brought from generation to generation, the land shall lay waste, none shall pass through it forever: compare with Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 19:3.

Remember these things take time: “generation to generation.”

The American Church doesn’t take this stuff seriously, but God does, and so should you. If the leadership of the American Churches were honest, they would warn the American people about what must be coming.

Note: Many referenced verses for Isaiah 34:1-10 are supplied by Milton Terry, John Gill, or Albert Barnes.